Speaker: Luke Heller, Tallahassee, FL, United States
How (and why) are you taking action on climate change solutions in, for, and with your community?
Luke Heller: Hello, my name is Luke and I am an environmentalist based in Northern Florida in the United States. The effects of climate change are obvious within my community. Summers are defined by weeks on end of extreme heat, I have personally witnessed the impacts of four major hurricanes, sea level rise may prevent my friends living on the coast from continuing to live in the communities which they call home. Our continued existence isn't just impacted by natural disasters. Climate change has caused homeowners insurance policies to become more expensive and harder to find in my state. Several climate deniers exist within my state and some of them are politicians in state government. I learned about climate change for the first time after reading a news release about the global Day of Action in September 2019. I remember feeling afraid about the potential future consequences of climate change but also inspired by many of the people my age who are taking action. I started my journey as an environmentalist by joining the local Fridays for future Chapter and participating in local climate demonstrations. A fellow activist, noting my enthusiasm for climate action, invited me to join them at a meeting of local nonprofit focused on climate action, youth empowerment and civic engagement. After the meeting, I became interested by the projects that this nonprofit was working on. I have stayed involved since making my first friends and connections in the climate movement. In recent years, I joined several of my peers in the state capitol to lobby state legislators to support environmental legislation and participated in events to ensure that climate minded voters had plans to participate in elections. This year. I believe that influencing climate policy and public opinion on climate change can lead to meaningful change and help ensure that we have a livable future.
