California’s young adults must keep Newsom in office. Our chance at surviving climate change depends on it
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California Recall Election
Get the latest news and opinion on the recall election of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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Who will save us from the worsening climate crisis already playing out before our eyes? Certainly not any of the GOP candidates running to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in the recall election.
On Monday, the U.N. International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) released a frightening report on our climate future, revealing that the earth is warming faster than previously thought and the window of time to avoid catastrophe is rapidly closing. Avoiding extreme weather events and hotter temperatures is no longer a possibility.
“Human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2000 years,” the IPCC report concludes. “Many changes due to past and future greenhouse gas emissions are irreversible for centuries to millennia, especially changes in the ocean, ice sheets and global sea level.”
I’m 22 — on the older end of the Gen Z spectrum, but not quite a millennial. These two groups, however, ages 6-40, are growing up or came of age during a time of frequent climate disasters. Images of extreme weather events — the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the obliteration of Paradise, the disastrous 2011 tsunami in Japan, and melting glaciers — shaped our early ideas of the environment, the planet and our responsibility to save it.
We’ve seen a changing climate firsthand, and we have to live with it for the rest of our lives. Californians are seeing these changes right now — the devastating wildfires, smoke-choked air, unbearable heat, and extreme drought will only get worse from here on out.
Our best chance at survival is to do everything within our power to reverse the devastating consequence human influence has had on our planet. We need elected officials who take global warming seriously and prioritize mitigation strategies.
Recalling Newsom and replacing him with any of the leading GOP challengers puts our progress on climate change at risk, in a moment when global experts are telling us we need even bolder action.
In a recent interview with McClatchy’s California editorial boards, ultra-conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder said he does believe in climate change but doesn’t believe in climate alarmism.
“I think it’s really a shame that so many young people are afraid about their future because so many people like (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) are convincing people that unless dramatic action is taken, we’re all going to suffer all sorts of negative consequences,” Elder said. “I think that’s outrageous. I think we’re smart enough to deal with the effects of climate change. And if there’s rising water, we can deal with the effects of that.”
To Elder and others in the conservative ecosystem, including businessman John Cox and former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, climate catastrophe is a vague hypothetical — it’s not a nightmare playing out before their eyes.
“I do believe our climate is getting warmer, and I do believe that human activity has something to do with it,” Elder said, downplaying the substantiated fact that human influence is the main cause of climate change.
“Sea level rise is certainly an issue, and it may well be because of how the climate is changing,” said Cox, neglecting the substantiated fact that climate change is undoubtedly the reason why sea levels are rising.
“Everybody wants to blame climate change on everything,” said Faulconer when asked if he could link worsening wildfires to climate change. “I think, yes, the climate is changing.”
Faulconer and Elder both include wildfires as key issues on their campaign websites, yet neither mention “climate” even once, ignoring the myriad ways a warmer, drier climate worsens annual wildfires.
A 2018 study released by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 56% of voters say a candidate’s position on environmental issues influences how they vote. I guess the GOP challengers missed that study.
Newsom, on the other hand, told McClatchy’s California opinion teams that the state is doing more about climate change than any other, but that’s still not enough.
That’s the mindset we need to confront climate change.
While Newsom has been in office, California became the first state to commit to the “30x30” goal, a plan to conserve 30% of the state’s land and coastal water by 2030, curbing greenhouse gas emissions by preserving carbon sequestration sites. The recently passed state budget for 2021-22 includes massive investments in climate change — $15 billion in total.
If the recall is successful, it would have disastrous effects on our environment — not just statewide, but nationally.
“It would go deep to issues of immigration, climate policy, health care,” Newsom said. “Even beyond that, I think its repercussions would be felt next year ... and beyond.”
He’s right. Successfully recalling a Democratic governor in blue California would give the Republicans fuel for not just statewide races, but national races. And Republicans love rolling back environmental protections. Remember our last Republican president? Donald Trump’s four years in office will have decades-long consequences: We squandered precious time that could have been used to limit global warming; rolled back over 100 environmental rules meant to curb climate change and limit pollution; and slashed funding to federal regulators like the Environmental Protection Agency.
The recall is a direct threat to climate policy. I hope my generation appreciates that. After all, it’s our climate future. Climate change and environmental justice are two significant motivators for young people to vote. Despite this, youth voting lagged in the 2020 presidential elections. That cannot happen again.
Young people must vote in this recall — for survival. If California removes Newsom from office, we could lose one of our last opportunities to prevent the worst effects of climate change from occurring.
It’s not climate alarmism, it’s our reality.
This story was originally published August 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "California’s young adults must keep Newsom in office. Our chance at surviving climate change depends on it."
