Moscow High seniors lead climate walkout

More than 150 Moscow High School students left fourth-period classes Friday to protest government inaction against climate change.

The students marched from the high school about three blocks to East City Park, some carrying signs that read “We don’t have time” and “This is an emergency.” About a dozen University of Idaho students also participated.

Organized by Moscow High seniors Nicole Xiao and Devon Conway, the student-led protest was part of a global walkout for climate awareness. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg started the Fridays for Future student movement in 2018.

“Climate change is the number one problem facing our generation,” Conway said. “The time to act is now, but right now the people in power aren’t solving the problem. It’s really frustrating because climate change is an issue we need to deal with.”

Xiao and Conway are co-presidents of the Climate Justice League chapter in Moscow, which they started in the spring.

The two seniors also are involved with the Ready for 100 campaign, a nationwide movement for clean renewable energy started by the Sierra Club. The program is urging Moscow and other municipalities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions completely by 2045.

“When I was younger, I took a trip back to China and the smog there was really bad,” Xiao said. “I thought, ‘This is not a world I would want to leave for my children.’”

In 2010, Moscow set a goal of reducing emissions by 20 percent before 2020, which it fulfilled.

Local leaders are now proposing a strategy to reduce carbon emissions by an extra 5 percent before 2030. But Xiao believes the city can do better, and should commit to 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 and clean energy by 2045.

A petition outlining the goals was presented to Moscow City Council on Monday and has garnered over 450 signatures.

“We want this sooner,” Xiao said. “There’s already been a dialogue started for Avista and other utility companies to have more ambitious plans.”

Avista committed to having clean electricity by 2045, with carbon neutral energy by 2027. UI made its own 100 percent clean energy pledge in 2011.

The city of Moscow is having a climate action workshop from 5-7 p.m. Monday at City Hall that’s open to the public. Deputy City Supervisor Tyler Palmer will give a presentation on greenhouse gas emissions and programs focusing on alternatives.

The United Nations scientific report released in August warned global climate change is accelerating and the delay in curbing fossil fuel emissions has ensured a hotter future for decades, if not centuries.

“We’ve been way too slow,” Al Poplawsky, chairman of the Sierra Club’s Palouse Group, said to students at the demonstration. “We owe the next generation a big apology, a really sincere apology.”

Palermo can be reached at apalermo@dnews.com or on Twitter @apalermotweets.