“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary…”
OK, students of American History, think you know the rest of this historic American sentence?
If you guessed, “… for one people to rid themselves of an energy system that may threaten their lives and liberties, it is only decent that they should declare the causes of separation from the dependence on Fossil Fuels,” you’re right.
Here’s the complete “Declaration of Independence from Fossil Fuels.” The document was written by fifteen-year-old climate activist Alec Loorz, who has been organizing his peers to fight global warming since he saw Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth, three years ago.
Last week, Loorz presented a copy of the Declaration to the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. It was signed by 10,000 kids. (Nearly 40,000 have added their names, including online signatures.)
The young activist summed up his experience in D.C. in a recent blog post:
When I was talking to Senator Kerry last week, he told me they need the youth voice in the next couple months if we are going to pass this bill through the Senate. He challenged our generation to stand up, and get active in this fight. So who is ready to join me?
Those ready to join the fight can find plenty of ways to do it at the website Kids vs the Environment, an organization Loorz created.
A different version of this story appeared in The Phoenix Sun.
Watch the “Declaration” video:
