by Francesca Rossi | Special to the Courier

“No more coal! No more oil! Keep the carbon in the soil!” “Hey hey! Ho ho! Fossil fuels have got to go!”

These were some of the chants from Sunflower Alliance’s recent “Tell Citibank: Stop Funding Fossil Fuels” march in San Francisco. I had the opportunity to attend this protest as a representative of Food & Water Watch and participate alongside Third Act, 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations, and other grassroots organizations and passionate individuals.

There I joined activists calling on banks to stop funding fossil fuel projects and demanding California regulators stop approving new fossil fuel permits.

It was remarkable to see the towering puppets and the rocking chair brigade, hear the spirited chants and live music, and take part in painting a giant mural at Harry Bridges Plaza. I was proud I could lend my energy, voice, and hand-painted signs to this meaningful movement. I was inspired to see climate activists of all ages — from toddlers alongside their parents to our elders sitting steadfast —  fighting for the planet we all bear responsibility for protecting.

Much of environmental discourse comes down to one question: do our actions as individuals, especially as young people, matter in the face of rampant global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, increased natural disasters, overconsumption and mass-scale pollution? In my opinion, yes, there are things each of us can do. I eat less meat, thrift, participate in my college’s environmental groups, and share awareness posts on my Instagram.

Still, people discourage me. They tell me to stop caring about gigantic, uncontrollable issues, that one person can’t make a difference. And they’re not entirely wrong. Individual action is important, but changing our consumption patterns alone will never solve the climate crisis  without bold governmental action to address its underlying drivers. We need to engage politically to move our elected officials to take that action, while we do what we can in our own lives.

Despite California’s “green” reputation, extractive, polluting corporate schemes constantly threaten our communities and climate, and are supported by government policy. There are even new expensive climate “solutions” like desalination plants and pipeline projects being proposed across the Bay Area, my home. Our world is run by wealthy corporations that will continue to drive the climate crisis as long as they can retain their influence, money and power. Although it would be convenient, it’s highly unlikely that big oil companies, factory farm operations, and other extractive industries can be convinced to stop their destructive practices.

But we can elect representatives who pledge to pass legislation to protect their constituents. Those we choose to lead, those we elect to offices of great power, like Governor Newsom, are responsible for protecting our state and its people. Our representatives must represent us.

Governor Newsom must side with the Californians who put him in office and rein in polluters. We cannot allow the oil and gas industry — one of the major contributors to our climate crisis — to devour billions of gallons of our precious water and pollute our suffering environment. Despite the passage of the Newsom supported Senate Bill 1137 in 2022, which prohibits new oil/gas drilling facilities in neighborhoods, new oil projects are still being approved by the state Geologic Energy Management Division and are endangering the health and safety of neighborhoods across the state. Factory farms and big agribusiness continue to abuse California’s water as fires ravage our state and drought conditions reemerge.

Governor Newsom must reject the oil and gas industry’s efforts to expand and take action to rein in big agribusiness and factory farms. Our leaders must take bold action to protect our environment for future generations. Soon, it will be my generation’s turn to lead, and I hope that when it is, there will still be clean water, breathable air, and a livable climate for us to protect.

Francesca Rossi, a youth climate activist and former intern at Food & Water Watch, is a sophomore at Claremont McKenna College, where she is chair of her student government’s environmental affairs committee.