A progressive climate action plan led by students — including setting goals for cutting emissions and using clean energy — moved forward Tuesday night when the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board voted to fund the next step.
In a 4-1 vote, the board voted to spend about $250,000 to hire the Cumming Group as a consultant. Over 18 months, the group will lay out a strategy for Southern Arizona’s largest district with about 42,000 students. Last October, the board voted 3-2 to adopt the climate plan, one of the most innovative in the country.
“They committed real money to create a concrete, tangible plan to implement its ambitious goals, and are keeping the momentum going for local climate action,” said Ojas Sanghi, 20, and the co-lead of the Arizona Youth Climate Coalition. “This is further proof that youth voices matter and that when we work together in an intergenerational fashion, we can enact systems-level change and drive real decarbonization.”
The plan was crafted by students ages 13-20 and core issues include cutting emissions in half by 2030, to reach net-zero emissions by 2040; offering a comprehensive climate curriculum in grades K-12; 100% clean energy by 2035; electric buses by 2040; an extreme heat preparedness plan and examining water use…