KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Kalamazoo City Commission has passed a resolution declaring a climate emergency.
The resolution is meant to help officials take steps into making Kalamazoo a more environmentally-friendly city to live. According to an official copy of the resolution, the goals of the initiative include:
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- increase investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency
- create a clean energy economy
- build relationships to address climate change
During the board meeting Monday night, the commissioners unanimously passed the resolution declaring the crisis after previously being petitioned by the City of Kalamazoo Environmental Concerns Committee (ECC).
Several community members spoke out in favor of the resolution before it was passed.
“We have heard time and time again the science of the climate crisis,” one WMU student said. “We are worse off than scientists ever thought we would be, and an extreme response should have happened years ago. Many of my generation, including myself, have extreme fear, anxiety and even nightmares regarding the climate crisis and what it entails for the future.”
Concerns for future environmental problems were spoken by many attendees.
“I used to be excited to have kids, but now I question if it’s even ethical or morally right for me to bring them into a world that I don’t even know will sustain me for much longer,” one Kalamazoo Central High School student said. “While I know that sounds morbid, I’m not the only one that thinks this. Many of my peers as well as my educators have expressed the same fear of what their future will look like, not only for themselves, but for their children.”
Commissioner David Anderson was appreciative of the resolution.
“I look forward to voting for this resolution, and I appreciate your efforts to this point and look forward to the good things we can do together,” Anderson said.
Commissioner Cooney also spoke out in appreciation of the ECC.
“You are eloquent and you are powerful in what you said to us tonight, the sign in the back says it all: act as if your house is on fire, because it really is,” Cooney said referring to a sign held by an attendee. “We are in a state of emergency, we are in a crisis, but we don’t act like we’re in a crisis…we need to put the social pressure to make this happen, to take the actions that we need to take for the sake of our young people, for the sake of our living creatures, for all of us.”
The official resolution also states that over 1,000 local governments in 18 countries have signed similar emergency declarations.
