Dear Mr. President,
I am Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, a 12 year old indigenous environmental activist and one of the youth that filed a lawsuit against the state of Colorado and the Federal Government for not protecting the Atmosphere. I am writing this petition on behalf of the children and youth of our country and of the world. We request that you immediately take action to solve our climate and environmental crisis. This crisis is a human rights issue because we deserve to inherit a livable planet. We are asking you to do whatever is in your power to fight for our future, and insure that present and future generations have a healthy, sustainable and just planet.
We, the youth, know that our world is spinning out of control because of our climate and environmental crisis. Ecosystems are collapsing, the polar ice caps are melting much faster than predicted and sea levels are rising. Species are disappearing at an alarming rate, our oceans are becoming acidified, and extreme weather is becoming more and more common. We hear about it on the news, in our schools, on the internet and from our parents. If you and the leaders of the world do not take urgent action on our climate and environmental crisis this year, we will not have the chance to inherit a habitable planet.
We, the youth, know that politicians and corporations are putting profits and greed before our future, that they are only considering their bottom line and not taking into account the cost’s they impose on the environment. These politicians and corporations must be held accountable for the kind of world they are leaving us. It is frightening reading the assessments by respected United State scientists of the damage that the climate and environmental crisis is doing not only in our country but around the world. You stated you believe climate change is real and that it is impacted by our overconsumption-based lifestyles and carbon emissions. You stated that you would do everything in your power to protect our generation.
We do not deserve to have a future living from climate and environmental disaster to disaster, fearing for our future and the kind of world we are being left with. If the leaders of our country and the world continue to ignore this crisis, you will be posing a grave danger to the health and safety of the children of the world.
We hope that you are really sincere about your obligation to future generations and your promise to do something to protect our future. We realize it is going to take all of us working together to protect the planet for the next generations, and we, the youth, are committed to doing our part, but we need you to lead the way.
The climate and environmental crisis needs to become a national priority. We need you to assure the youth of our country that you will move us immediately towards sustainable solutions and green technologies. These are already available and can move us away from our dependence on fossil fuels. We, the youth, are petitioning you to do the following, to protect our future:
o Pass a national ban on hydraulic fracturing which is destroying communities, polluting the air, the water, the atmosphere, the land and endangering people’s health.
o Stop the Keystone Pipeline, which poses unacceptable risks to the air, water, atmosphere, land and the people.
o Stand up against tar sands extraction, which is unleashing a climate and environmental catastrophe.
o Immediately cap carbon and put into place a Climate Recovery Plan.
o Begin mass reforestation.
o Make the Arctic a Sanctuary.
o Initiate a U.S. Earth Restoration Corp to restore ecosystems that have been damaged and are endangering the water, the air, the land, our health, wildlife and our future.
o Implement environmental education programs in schools across the United States.
According to the Public Trust Doctrine, a legal principle derived from the English Common Law, the air, the water, the land and the atmosphere are to be protected for all generations, and not exploited to the point of endangering future generations.
The undersigned youth and children, supported by signatures from our families, friends, groups and environmental organizations, petition you to protect our future by fulfilling the above requests. We the youth would also like to request a meeting with you at the White House to discuss our concerns.
