At Centennial High School, Sen. Heinrich boosts voices on climate change

LAS CRUCES - An advanced placement biology class at Centennial High School welcomed an unusual guest instructor on Wednesday morning. 

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., gave an impromptu lecture on energy production and technology, and the prospects for an economy less dependent on fossil fuels.

"You will hear all the reasons why we can't get this done," Heinrich told the students, "but 80 percent of what we need to do, we already know how to do. And I guarantee you that when we decided as a country that we were going to the moon, no one knew if it was actually possible. They didn't have the technology."

Heinrich spoke about prospects for low-carbon agriculture and energy efficient construction as well as renewable energy production, battery and transmission technologies, and policy approaches for transforming industries such as taxing carbon emissions.

The senator took questions from students for several minutes, most of which focused on the economic and political challenges to addressing climate change.

During the bull session, Heinrich said, "A lot of money has been spent denying the science for 40 years … now we're at a point where the impacts are going to be pretty darn severe, and the economic impacts are going to be a lot bigger than if we had laned into this in 1980 or 1990." 

Before leaving, Heinrich announced he was sponsoring a scholastic competition for southern New Mexico students from kindergarten through high school, with high school students invited to submit essays on the topic, "Beyond protests: Taking on the climate crisis."

The winning essay, he said, would be posted on his Senate website, and the writer's school is promised a visit by Heinrich in May. The essay competition is for high school students only, while younger students are invited to submit poetry and art on assigned topics related to climate change

"It's your generation that's actually going to fix it," he told the students.

Following the class, Heinrich, who is 48, said youth outreach was needed to address widespread frustration at the political discourse on climate and the pace of change, as voices in numerous demonstrations in which school-age children and millennials have been prominent. 

"This is about finding ways to get this generation involved in decision-making sooner rather than later," Heinrich told the Sun-News, "because I have so much trust that they'll be able to move solutions a lot faster than my generation is able to." 

While he acknowledged encountering pessimism in his youth outreach, Heinrich said that generational changes have already changed lawmaking bodies such as the New Mexico Legislature.

"The last couple of election cycles brought the age down in the Legislature, it diversified who was in the Legislature, and we're seeing much more aggressive policies as a result," he said. "When this generation that's in high school starts having an impact on direct policy, you're going to see even more accelerated timelines." 

Youth Climate Change Challenge 

Kindergarten through third grade:

• Drawing or painting, maximum size 17" x 11", with three-sentence explanation.
• Prompt: "Why is the Earth important to you?"

Fourth through fifth grade:

• Drawing or painting, maximum size 17" x 11", with five-sentence explanation.
• Prompt: "The land I love: The place we have to save"

Sixth through eighth grade:

• Poem of up to 250 words.
• Prompt: "The youth voice and the climate crisis"

High school:

• Short essay of up to 750 words.
• Prompt: "Beyond protests: Taking on the climate crisis"

Deadline for entries is April 10, 2020, with a limit of one entry per student.

Winners will receive a school visit from Senator Heinrich in May, and the artwork will be displayed in his Washington, DC office. 

Submissions should be directed to Heidi Byrd at Senator Heinrich's field office at 201 N. Church St., Suite 305, Las Cruces, NM 88001. 

For information: Elsa Menendez at (505) 398-9304 or email elsa_menendez@heinrich.senate.gov.