I’ve been over at the big Power Shift conference in Washington, D.C. this weekend, where thousands of young adults are here to ignite change on climate change policy. They’ve been holding panels on climate issues, workshops on activism, and training sessions for lobbying Congress. These college and high school students have filled the entirety of the convention center, and tomorrow they’ll be filling the halls of Congress.
And let me tell you, these yoots are excited. To demonstrate just how excited:
- At this morning’s panel exploring the question of cap-and-trade vs. cap-and-dividend, every seat in the room was filled. Kids go crazy for the great taste of carbon trading options!
- Yesterday, I watched two students try to convince the security guard at the convention center to switch off some of the overhead lighting and let in more natural light. Doubting the security guard has much sway on the issue, but hey, the effort was sincere.
- Today’s panel on natural gas ran 30 minutes over the scheduled time due to the number of questions students had for panelists.
- The panel on reporting on climate change that I spoke on was also a full crowd – at 9 a.m on a Saturday.
- Final attendance for the conference topped 12,100.
- Attendees will be meeting with 370 senators and House members tomorrow.
Here’s a photo of the standing-room-only crowd learning about carbon pricing this morning:
