Youths attend Governors’ Global Climate Summit

MEETING INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE—California Climate Champion Adam Raudonis interviews Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the recent Governors’ Global Climate Summit. Adam attends Westlake High School. As part of the California Climate Champions program, I was one of a dozen young people chosen to represent the youth perspective at the Governors’ Global Climate Summit 2 in Los Angeles last week.

The international political conference, co-hosted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and six other state governors, included representatives from all over the world, eager to hear of the views of young people during presentations and in one-on-one conversations.

The presence of the youth representatives of California at the conference demonstrated to the audience of government leaders, business executives, organization heads and scientists that the upcoming generation is already dedicated to continuing their work. The leaders recognized that one doesn’t have to be a governor to inspire more sustainable practices. We can all try to become “greener” in our everyday lives.

During most of the conference, I attended seminars, which included “Adapting to Climate Change” and “Sustainable Economic Growth.” I also had the opportunity to interview Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and was impressed with his commitment to local sustainable action, a commitment that I’ve also seen in Thousand Oaks under the leadership of Jacqui Irwin.

I also interviewed Noel Perry, founder of Next 10, an organization that seeks to ensure the next 10 years are even better for California than the last decade.

At lunch I had a casual discussion with a woman next to me about environmental youth programs, only to discover later that she was Jane Davidson, environment minister of Wales.

At the Green Solutions exhibit hall, I saw a variety of new technology, from concentrating photovoltaic cells to waste treatment bacteria. Each vendor touted his environmental credentials and attempted to rise above greenwashing—or only pretending to be eco-friendly. A multitude of companies with booths on the convention floor offered a glimpse at the wideranging benefits of a transition to a low-carbon economy.

The Governors’ Global Climate Summit served as a prelude to the Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December,

where world leaders will attempt to create an international treaty to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The California Climate Champions signed and stamped a cloth that will be brought to Copenhagen as part of the Seal the Deal campaign, which

calls for urgent action to stop global warming.

Part of being a California Climate Champion involves initiating an original “greening” project to improve the environment in our respective communities. I started a group called Students for Solar Schools that seeks to install solar panels on Westlake High School by the end of this year and to create a template that students can follow at other schools across the country.

Schools and student organizers are linked through our website, www.students forsolarschools.org. We’ve now raised most of the funds for the panels at Westlake and have expanded to more than a dozen schools in the continental U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Botswana.

Adam, a senior at Westlake High School, is a California Cli mate Champion. Sponsored by the British Council, the UK’s cultural relations organization, and California Air Resources Board, the California Climate Champions program identifies youths from across the state who are leaders in communicating about climate change and engaging their communities in action.