Leon County passes climate emergency declaration emphasizing DEI

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Leon County Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution this week committing the county to advancing their effort to fight climate change through diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The youth advocacy organization GenCLEO previously presented the declaration to the board. The county responded with upholding every demand by the group, except their recommendation to create a standalone youth advisory committee on climate activism.

Commissioner David O’Keefe complimented GenCLEO and their mission to educate other on climate change and being about policy change in communities.

“I’m really excited that we’re going to have further youth input in our sustainability summits and on our community stakeholder groups,” O’Keefe said during the meeting. “Because they really are the group that will be most effected by this.”

Members of GenCLEO spoke out in favor of the resolution during the public hearing, emphasizing the “long-term, irreversible effects” of climate change that younger generations will have to deal with.

The resolution focuses on the importance of addressing “past and ongoing harms” by highlighting the principles of “justice, inclusion, equity, diversity, and democracy” during the county’s transition to a zero-emission, renewable economy.

The proposal passed six to one, with Commissioner Brian Welch being the only opposing vote.

Welch spoke to Florida’s Voice before the vote about why he would be voting against the resolution.

“I’m proud of the county’s sustainability efforts and as such, most of the action being requested in the resolution is already being done by our office of resource stewardship,” he said

“While I appreciate the concerns of the student advocates, I recognize that we have much more immediate and pressing concerns at the local level such as crime and homelessness for which we should be focusing on our declarations of emergencies and crises,” he said.

GenCLEO is a branch of the Climate Leadership Engagement Opportunities Institute. The group seeks to educate “all people, governments, and organizations” in order to have a planet that is “informed,” “engaged,” and willing to take action on “critical climate issues.”