CALL TO CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION

WHEREAS, there is a broad scientific consensus among climate scientists that human activities contribute to increases in greenhouse gas emissions, and are the dominant cause of climate change (California, 2018); and,

WHEREAS, on April 12, 2016, world leaders from 175 countries recognized the threat of climate change and the urgent need to combat it by signing the Paris Agreement, agreeing to keep global mean temperature “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and to “pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C;” and,

WHEREAS, on October 8, 2018, the IPCC released a special report, “Global Warming of 1.5°C,” stating that “Limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society,” and projected that the Earth could reach and exceed this temperature threshold by as early as 2030, far earlier than previously anticipated; and,

WHEREAS, on November 23, 2018, the US federal government issued the Fourth National Climate Assessment report, which detailed the massive threat that climate change poses to the American economy, and underscored the need for immediate climate emergency action at all levels of government; and,

WHEREAS, we believe it is critical to advocate for the decisive near-term action needed to prevent further global warming, especially because this window of opportunity is rapidly closing; and,

WHEREAS, climate change is clearly not a partisan issue, and that local, state, and national policies should be guided by the best available science in order to increase the resiliency of our communities and prevent the worst effects of climate change; and,

WHEREAS, today’s children represent a particularly vulnerable group because increasing greenhouse gases and trapped heat will almost certainly have a profound negative impact throughout their lives, as well as the lives of future generations; and,

WHEREAS, the Sonoma Office of Education has encouraged local districts to engage in non-partisan climate advocacy and 30 school boards and student councils in California, Colorado, New York, Virginia, and Nevada have passed non-partisan climate action resolutions; and, 

WHEREAS, in 2015 the California PTA declared climate change a children’s issue; and,

WHEREAS, the Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education recognizes climate change as a generational justice and human rights issue; and,

WHEREAS, climate change is a social justice and equity issue. While climate change impacts all people and disproportionately impacts all young people and future generations, it disproportionately affects people of color and people in poverty, thereby exacerbating existing inequities and limiting the equality of opportunity which is a foundational aspiration for modern America; and,

WHEREAS, 21 youth claimants are currently asserting their constitutional right to a livable climate in the Juliana v. U.S. case currently in federal courts and dozens of other youth claimants are making similar claims in state courts around the country; and

WHEREAS, the global impact, urgency, and magnitude of the challenge of addressing climate change calls for courageous leadership in all sectors of society, in all institutions and from all elected leaders; and all those in positions of power must be held accountable. To preserve the health and longevity of the Earth for generations to come, leaders need to acknowledge that a climate emergency threatens the residents of Napa County and the entire world, and they must respond with the necessary emergency measures; and

WHEREAS, national and state elected leaders must work in a united will to enact carbon pricing policies to substantially reduce human-made greenhouse gas emissions, thereby protecting our current and future students; and,

WHEREAS, we work to ensure that all Napa Valley Unified School District students graduate as empowered individuals, with their own talents, interests, needs and goals. Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education recognizes the link between student health and learning (Student Wellness, 2019); and,

WHEREAS, the Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education recognizes and understands the significant negative impact that rapid and ongoing climate change has on the health and learning in America’s schools, students, and their communities (Hayes et.al., 2018); and,

WHEREAS, the Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education celebrates existing district sustainability initiatives such as the Napa Valley Unified Wellness Program and investment in sustainability infrastructure such as solar panels installed in parking areas, and existing LEED certified building projects.

LET IT THEREFORE BE RESOLVED, that Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education supports the Superintendent in implementing a Climate Stabilization Committee to develop recommendations for actions on climate change that are within the purview of the District and financially feasible, such as: continuing and enhancing opportunities for climate literacy and climate justice advocacy; further promoting plant-based and lower meat content in menu planning, food waste reduction programs, and composting; finding ways to eliminate plastic utensils and packaging; establishing targets for reducing the District’s greenhouse gas emissions; supporting non-partisan advocacy and engagement with local, state and federal jurisdictions for commonsense climate policies that will protect current and future students and the earth they will inhabit; encouraging Committee participation by board members, administration, staff, parents, students, and community members, with periodic reports of Committee activities; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education support education of all staff on the latest climate science and the emergency mobilization needed in response; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education support local climate mobilization efforts to reduce the sources of excess trapped heat that are responsible for climate change, and to increase resiliency for all residents, with special attention to the needs of marginalized and vulnerable communities, in order to achieve the goal of net zero climate pollution by or before 2030; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education support the transmission of official copies of this resolution to the following: the Superintendent of County Schools, the school boards of all school districts in the County, all student councils in our district, district educators’ unions, all district PTA’s, all California county Superintendents of Schools, the State Superintendent of Education and the California State Board of Education, the Congressional Climate Solutions Caucus, the California State School Board Association, the National School Board Association, all California members of Congress, and the Schools for Climate Action campaign.

Rationale

Research concludes that climate change adversely affects students’ physical and mental health and negatively impacts student achievement. (Hayes, 2018) 

The damages caused by natural catastrophes and extreme weather events devastate local economies and therefore schools.  Along with the state of California as a whole, and Napa County’s residents, economy, and environment have already experienced some of the dramatic adverse effects of climate change, such as a prolonged wildfire season and firestorms, rising temperatures, mudslides, flooding, severe droughts, property destruction and damage to infrastructure, all of which make clear that climate change represents a growing danger to human health, safety, economic prosperity, basic services, and natural resources (California, 2018).

In 2017, the Government Accounting Agency reported that the impact of climate change to the United States was approximately $350 billion for the preceding 10 years, and this ongoing crisis is projected to cost at least $35 billion annually from now until 2050 when it will increase to as much as $112 billion annually.

A report by the Universal Ecological Fund places the annual cost at $240 billion.  These figures did not include the devastating California wildfires of 2017/2018, the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey in South Texas, the loss of Alaskan permafrost and coastal land mass, the significant droughts in the western United States, the increases in insect populations leading to destruction of crops, and the projected loss of low lying land in Florida, Virginia, Texas, California, and Louisiana.  Research by the World Meteorological Organization concluded that 80 percent of natural disasters between 2005 and 2015 were in some way climate-related.

The insurance industry has recognized the impact of climate change.  In 2010 the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) adopted an Insurer Climate Risk Disclosure Survey in response to The Potential Impact of Climate Change on Insurance Regulation white paper released by the NAIC in 2008.  “The disclosure of climate risk is important because of the potential impact climate change can have on insurer solvency and the availability and affordability of insurance across all major categories.”

In addition to the projected costs due to the major flooding that will affect coastal schools, there will be increased electricity demands due to higher temperatures and air quality for all schools, as they require increasing amounts of air conditioning, and possibly heating due to unusually long and cold winters.  The overall temperature rise, and the air quality during wildfires, may require the construction of indoor gyms for physical education and athletics.

The specific costs to school infrastructure, including the loss of buildings and lands, as well as declines in tax revenue and increases in insurance rates, has not been determined, however it is expected to be in the multiple billions of dollars.  It is vital that climate change be slowed and stabilized so that school districts and their communities can spend precious dollars on students, classrooms, and educational programs.  Addressing climate change now will benefit our students today, and our actions will safeguard the world we leave to future generations. 

References Cited:

California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.climateassessment.ca.gov/ 

Center for Insurance Policy & Research - Climate Change. (2019, January 16). Retrieved from https://www.naic.org/cipr_topics/topic_climate_change.htm 

Hayes, K., Blashki, G., Wiseman, J., Burke, S., & Reifels, L. (2018, June 01). Climate change and mental health: Risks, impacts and priority actions. Retrieved March 21, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5984805/ 

Resources and Environmental Protection. (2016, February 16). Retrieved from https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3354 

Student Wellness at Napa Valley Unified School District. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2019, from https://www.nvusd.org/wellness 

WMO Report: The Escalating Impacts of Climate-Related Natural Disasters. (2014, July). Retrieved from https://unfccc.int/news/wmo-report-the-escalating-impacts-of-climate-related-natural-disasters