By Sofia Carrasco (she/her) and Kobi Schneider (he/him) Vote for Climate Campaign Co-Leads
The upcoming November election is critical for many reasons, one of the most urgent being our response to the climate crisis. That is why, beginning this August, Youth v. Oil will be officially kicking off its Vote For Climate campaign, an effort that involves getting adults to focus on environmental issues this election as if they were a sixteen-year-old facing their future. But what does this entail, and what are our main goals?
One of our main objectives is to gather support for the Let’s Go campaign, and getting adults to vote yes on Measure G. San Diego has the 6th worst air quality in the nation, and this is largely due to excessive emissions from cars and poor public transportation. Measure G fights this by striving to raise money for the latter; if passed, it would improve city trolleys, provide affordable fares for seniors, students, and the disabled, extend the railway to the airport, and fix road potholes all across the county. It does this by increasing non-grocery sales taxes by a half-cent per dollar, and the benefits are innumerable: it is projected to lower air pollution by 20%, enhance existing lines and make them more accessible for low-income communities, and even reduce congestion if you don’t use public transit.
At Youth v. Oil, we plan to spread awareness of this revolutionary measure through tabling, canvassing, rallies, and in schools. We recently had some members attend Chula Vista’s Lemon Festival, where they tirelessly promoted the ballot measure. “Voting YES on Measure G will make San Diego a happier, healthier place,” says Kobi Schneider, one of YvO’s Vote For Climate leads and its liaison for the Let’s Go campaign. “We have the potential to majorly improve our transit system and make travel more safe and accessible for all.”
Voter education is a daunting topic, and yet people who prioritize the climate crisis as an issue frequently report less voter turnout than their counterparts with other focuses. That is why it is incredibly important that adults are educated on environmental issues, not only on the federal but the local and state levels. Youth v. Oil plans to encourage this through media presences, newspaper op-eds, and a rally on October 12th from 12-2pm in downtown San Diego. While SanDiego350 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, meaning that it cannot endorse candidates, we intend to provide accessible and consolidated resources that allow adults to easily research for themselves.
“We really just want adults to know how critical this moment in time is,” says Sofia Carrasco, Vote For Climate’s other co-lead. “Our emissions over these next four years really define what kind of planet we’ll be living on for the rest of our lives. It’s an overwhelming fact, but it cannot go unacknowledged.” We also want to empower youth across the state to speak out about this issue, and will be communicating with high school clubs, college campuses, and everywhere in between. With a social media campaign and a uniting rally in October, we hope to make this movement more tangible in the eyes of youth and the adults who will be, after all, voting for their futures.
If you want to get more involved in the campaign, join our virtual Vote for Climate meetings every Wednesday from 7:30-8:30pm. Email sofia@youth4climate350.org for the meeting link.