VANCOUVER—More electric cars, sustainable farming, community-owned power: these were just some of the ideas brought forward by youth at a Metro Vancovuer forum on climate change strategies.

On Saturday, Metro Vancouver invited youth aged 14 to 35 to share their ideas on the region’s Climate 2050 Strategic Plan.

“Climate change is something I think about every day,” said Shakti Ramkumar, a fourth-year geography student at the University of British Columbia. “All of my friends, everyone I know is feeling the urgency of climate change right now.”

Metro Vancouver is in the process of developing the Climate 2050 Strategic Plan, which aims to reduce carbon emissions and prepare the region to deal with the impacts of global warming. The 30-year plan uses a “climate lens” towards policies in order to reach the regional target of reducing greenhouse emissions by 80 per cent from 2007 levels by 2050.

The youth meeting was just one of almost 20 consultations Metro Vancouver will have with various regional groups.

Ramkumar said that there were a few key ideas that youth brought forward again and again in the discussions: the need to have Indigenous representation in developing climate policies, the need for community consultation, and the idea of community-owned energy. She said another major point is to continue involving young people in the discussion.

“We need to keep involve youth in the policy-making process, and really co-create with young people. I think everything we discuss today can have a tangible impact,” Ramkumar said.

Grade 8 student Oscar Price said that while Vancouver is already moving in the right direction with respect to climate change, there are a few other things that would make a big impact to reduce emissions.

“I think we should reduce the amount of energy we use per person, and increase the usage of electric vehicles—we aren’t using them enough and it would make a big difference to climate change.”

Roger Quan, director of air quality and climate change at Metro Vancovuer, said that youth have to be included in developing the strategy because they will be the ones to deal with the impacts in the future.

“The youth audience is particularly important because ... they will be most impacted by climate change,” said Quan. “It’s the youth that will be the benefactors of our climate change policies.”

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