Oceans are rising, ice caps are melting, and record-breaking temperatures are impacting Alaskans’ cultures, economy, and way of life. Though the science is strong, our lawmakers’ political will to take action is faltering. Alaska is ground zero for climate change. Let’s make it ground zero for climate change action.

This March, 19 high-school students from across the state traveled to Juneau with Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA), a program of Alaska Center for the Environment, where they met with Governor Walker to talk about the impacts of climate change that their diverse communities are already facing. With over 1000 signatures in hand that they had collected from across the state, they urged the Governor to create a statewide Climate Change Task Force.

Founded in 1997, Alaska Youth for Environmental Action inspires and trains rural and urban youth leaders to impact environmental issues by providing leadership skills training and supporting youth-led community action projects and campaigns. In the summer of 2013, youth from around the state declared climate change as the focus of their 2-year priority campaign.

Alaska once had a climate change sub-cabinet under Governor Palin, but that body, tasked with creating a readiness plan for mitigating the effects of climate change, was dissolved by Governor Parnell. The Climate Change Task Force, as proposed by AYEA teens for Governor Walker’s new administration, would be a critical addition to the statewide and national conversation about our changing climate. While Alaska is called ground zero for the effects of climate change, let’s work together to protect our Alaskan way of life by making our state ground zero for climate solutions -- including investing in renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and reducing emissions.

Climate change is not a problem of the future, but a problem of the present. In Alaska, that problem is accelerated as communities across the state begin dealing with the reality of: village relocation, growing wildfires, erosion, and flooding, sea ice loss, and impacts to infrastructure.

Let’s let Governor Walker know that we support the call to action by Alaskan youth. Climate change is a global problem, but it's also an Alaskan problem. When our way of life is threatened, we must be willing to take a stand to protect it. Governor Walker, let’s fight climate change together.