Students Ask Greenwich Selectmen To Declare Climate Change Emergency

GREENWICH, CT — In an effort to demand action on climate change both locally and at the state level, a group of residents went before the Greenwich Board of Selectmen this week to ask the town to adopt a resolution that would declare a climate change emergency.

Brought forth by the Greenwich Environmental Advocacy Group, the declaration would provide a foundation for the town to develop future priorities, policies, plans, budgets and actions related to climate change.

The resolution calls for the town and department heads, committees and commissions to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and "advocate for coordinated climate action at the municipal, regional, state and federal levels to restore a safe and sustainable climate for all living beings on earth."

The board did not vote on the resolution since this was a first-read of the agenda item. They are expected to circle back in two weeks.

Isabelle Harper, a graduating senior at Greenwich High School, presented the item to the selectmen.

"In the coming decades, scientists have predicted increasingly destructive models of how the global climate is going to change if we continue with the status quo," Harper said. "This future is a scary future for people my age, and that is why we need to fight for our lives to stop suffocating ourselves from our own pollution. This is an emergency for us; our entire generation's future hangs in the balance of decisions like this one we're asking you to make."

Greenwich resident and current UConn student Nicole Freitas spoke about the dangers of climate change, and the recent impact several storms had on Greenwich.

Freitas is an intern at Save The Sound, an organization dedicated to fighting for climate action and preserving and protecting the Long Island Sound, Connecticut's rivers and ecosystems.

"This resolution will support the development of concrete plans to protect the community. Implementing coastal management practices will restore, enhance and maintain our shoreline and marsh habitat. A more resilient coastline will protect the town and our beautiful Tod's Point from rising tides and extreme weather," Freitas said.

"Let this resolution be a step to investing in the future of Greenwich. My future, and don't let it just be words, but let it be accompanied with action," she added.

Alex Rodriguez, a climate advocate with Save The Sound, urged the selectmen to look at the resolution as "a town-by-town collaboration to hold Connecticut accountable to meeting its climate goals."

Currently, Rodriguez said, the state is out of compliance with the required Global Warming Solutions Act.

"There were two iterations of this policy passed in 2008 and 2018 to require the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050," Rodriguez said. "Currently [CT]-DEEP (Department of Energy and Environmental Protection) says we are out of compliance with such standards."

The board applauded the group for coming up with the resolution.

"In Greenwich, we certainly take this seriously," First Selectman Fred Camillo said, highlighting initatives like establishing an energy management advisory committee, sustainability committee and installing electric vehicle charging stations in town. Money was included in the budget this year to add two electric vehicles to the town's fleet.

"The goal here is great," Camillo said of the resolution. "I think we've come a long way in society, and we still have a long way to go."

Camillo said he wants to make the resolution more inclusive.

"This would send a good statement from the town that we're backing up what we're trying to do anyway," he said.

Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan, who co-chairs the town's sustainability committee, called the resolution "impressive," and noted the committee's full endorsement.

Selectwoman Lauren Rabin said she would also change some language, but supported the resolution as a whole.

"I totally understand the world we need to leave for our children and grandchildren," she said.

A draft of the resolution can be found on the town website.