The Youth Movement's Fight for a Fossil-Free Northwest

Part of It's Getting Hot in Here: Climate Generation, a month-long series at It's Getting Hot in Here reflecting on the state of the youth climate movement.

Just a few years ago, the Northwest climate movement in the United States was composed of a dedicated but relatively small group of folks working to inject the energy of the youth voice into the climate debate.

Those early years saw the solidification of the Cascade Climate Network, increased student involvement in passing state and local climate legislation, and the launching of several region-wide initiatives that continue to influence policy decisions in the Northwest today.

As we enter 2010, I believe the Northwest youth climate movement is becoming stronger than ever before. We’ve expanded onto new campuses, helped pass a slew of climate laws in both Washington and Oregon, and are becoming increasingly involved in the national and international climate dialogue.

So how did the Northwest get to this point?

Here are highlights of some of the major successes and achievements of youth climate activists in the Northwest and a look at where some of the current major initiatives may be going. This list is by no means comprehensive — and due to the nature of my own current work in the movement, it’s biased toward projects that focus on confronting the fossil fuel industries directly. Yet I hope it gives a rough idea of the trajectory of this movement so far, and provides a glimpse of where we might be headed next.

Stopping High-Carbon Gas

One of the first issues that which our Northwest movement came up against full force was the proposed construction of several LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminals and pipelines in our region.

Unlike North American natural gas, LNG is a high-carbon fuel imported from areas like Russia, the Middle East, South America, and Indonesia. In a part of the country where new coal plants are not being seriously looked at, LNG projects were and continue to be the largest new fossil fuel projects proposed for the Northwest.

In 2008, events like Cascade PowerShift focused a large section of the Northwest climate movement on stopping LNG. Today, the youth component of this movement has extended to campuses up and down the routes of proposed LNG pipelines, and the LNG industry has so far failed to obtain final approval for a single pipeline or terminal, some of which projects are years behind schedule.

This fight is far from over, and the LNG monster is not dead yet (see a recent post where I’ve tried to outline recent developments in this fight). Yet thanks to the dedicated work of dozens of people, we have a youth movement fully equipped to take on this fight as it progresses. I feel extremely privileged to have played even a small part in this struggle.

Passing State and Local Legislation

From collecting signature for a Washington ballot measure to increase renewable energy use, to testifying in support of an Oregon bill to create green jobs, the youth of the Northwest have lent essential support to passing a series of state-level laws designed to curb carbon emissions and encourage jobs-creating efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Of course the fossil fuel industries continue to challenge our achievements, and our work on state policy is far from over. But it’s seems safe to say that state climate policy in both Washington and Oregon is far more advanced than in 2006; and this is due in no small part to the efforts of youth activists.

Local government represents another arena where youth activists have seen definite results, prompting cities to sign onto the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and lending support to energy-saving initiatives.

Building Alternative Futures

While some of us in the movement tend to spend our time bashing the fossil fuel industries and keeping their lobbyists from getting too much sleep, other activists are engaged in the equally important work of building up the key solutions to the climate crisis.

Campus groups have successfully pressured their administrations to adopt energy efficiency measures, set up revolving loan funds to pay for sustainability projects, and in a few cases even installed renewable energy infrastructure on-campus.