San Antonio mayor's Youth Engagement Council for Climate ... - KSAT San Antonio
San Antonio mayor’s Youth Engagement Council for Climate Initiatives welcomes new applicants
SAN ANTONIO – Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s Youth Engagement Council for Climate Initiatives is welcoming applicants for its fourth cohort for the 2023-2024 school year.
The youth council started in 2020, shortly after the city adopted its first Climate Action and Adaption Plan in October 2019.
The mission of the youth council is to, among other things, involve high school students in community issues around climate change and environmental policy and justice.
“As members of the Youth Engagement Council, students will learn about sustainability, civic procedures, environmental justice, and how these topics relate to improving their community’s health and well-being,” Nirenberg said.
The council will begin its work in the fall and continue through the 2023-2024 school year.
“Members will work with frontline community organizations to tackle real-world challenges, inform local policy, and engage San Antonians in local sustainability initiatives,” Nirenberg said
Since its inception, the sustainability education nonprofit, EcoRise, has led the youth council. The mayor’s office and the Office of Sustainability have also added their support.
Previous cohorts have worked on projects including installing bug hotels to increase biodiversity, developing strategies for the city to improve public transportation and EV adoption and advocating for local policy changes.
“San Antonio youth are powerful allies in bringing equitable and sustainable changes to their communities,” said Brittany Jayroe, EcoRise’s senior director of Youth Programs.
There are English and Spanish applications for this year’s council. Students interested should complete their applications by Sept. 11.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”