We want to invite your organization to be part of this newly forming coalition of environmental and social justice groups working to build a youth climate movement in Canada. Email CYCC-Info to register your group today?

Download and sign the Youth Climate Declaration now!

THE DECLARATION

Climate change is not just an environmental issue. When farmers' crops fail from unnatural droughts, this is a livelihood issue. When our grandparents die from heat waves, this is a health issue. When the animals we traditionally hunt are no longer there, this is a survival issue. When melting sea ice opens up the Northwest Passage, this is a sovereignty issue. When we can no longer play hockey on outdoor rinks, this is a cultural issue. When I lose my job because industry refused to adapt to a changing world, this is an economic issue.

Our future is at stake; the climate crisis is our issue. As Canadian youth, we declare our right to a healthy future and accept our responsibility to ensure the same for our children.

The arctic is melting before our eyes and Indigenous cultures and peoples are being destroyed. Hurricanes and super storms are raging around the world. Small island nations are disappearing under sea levels rising. Our governments and industries are ignoring the greatest crisis of our time. We are seeing over the tipping point. We are seeing this in our lifetime.

This is the world in which we live, and this is the world that we, as youth, are inheriting. This is the world we refuse to pass on to our children. The climate crisis is upon us. Our choice is clear.

Today we stand up. Today we draw our line in the sand. We say this far and no further. We will no longer be silenced. We will no longer compromise our future. We will create alternatives, we will mobilize ourselves and we will build a better world.

We are: • Taking action to reduce energy use, educate our peers, and reduce our emissions.

• Making the climate crisis a priority for all Canadians, in the absence of meaningful action or leadership by the government and mainstream industry.

• Working in high schools, on campuses, in communities and at all levels of government to organize actions and develop social, political and technological solutions from coast to coast to coast.

We envision:

• A country that generates energy cleanly and uses energy intelligently and equitably; where transportation is sustainable and accessible; where our cities are healthy and livable; where our employment reflects our values and where industry is accountable for its actions.

• A country where the inherent value of all life is respected and our interdependence with the natural world acknowledged; where resources and opportunities are distributed equitably; and where communities are healthy, connected and sustainable.

• A safe and just future with personal, economic, cultural and environmental security.

We demand that any plan addressing the climate crisis include:

• Deep emission reductions that meet and exceed our international obligations, and implement renewable energy strategies;

• The elimination of fossil fuel subsidies;

• A comprehensive adaptation strategy for those communities already affected by climate change that incorporates and acknowledges the requirements of Indigenous communities;

• Reformations to our curriculum to properly educate youth from kindergarten to post-secondary on the impacts of, and solutions to, climate change; and

• Official positions for youth in directing Canada's climate change policies.

We can no longer afford to sit idle. Our culture, health, security, environment, prosperity and future are at stake. This is not a dress rehearsal. The government must make concrete short and long-term plans, and take direct action now!

We call on you to join us - to heed this call, to take responsibility for this crisis and to help mobilize the resistance. We did not create this crisis but we must and will build and create the solution.

It is with this goal at heart that on the 10th of September 2006, 43 of Canada's youth organizations united to form the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition. We commit to doing our part for our country, our culture and our kids; we only ask that you commit to the same.

Signed September 10, 2006 by:

Jessica Simpson -- North West Territories, Yellowknife

Jenn Sharman -- North West Territories, Yellowknife

Claire Stockwell -- Manitoba, Winnipeg

Elliot Coombe -- Ontario, Toronto

Angelo DiCaro -- Ontario, Missasauga

Rémi Donelle -- New Brunswick, Moncton

Amanda Aziz -- Manitoba, Winnipeg

Jackie Kennelly -- Ontario, Toronto

Barnett Chow -- Ontario, Toronto

Dev Aujla -- British Columbia, Vancouver

Jason Kun --Ontario, Toronto

Kassie Rohrbach -- Washington D.C.

Mike Mellnayk -- Ontario, Toronto

Myriam Broue -- Quebec, Montreal

Kristen Courtney -- Ontario, Toronto

Jordan Dunlop -- Ontario, Toronto

Karun Koernig -- British Columbia, Vancouver

Benoît Bhérer-Simard -- Quebec, Montreal

Leila Darwish -- Alberta, Edmonton

Kirsten Robinson -- Ontario, Waterloo

Lisa Wilson -- Ontario, Toronto

Mike Hudema -- Alberta, Medicine Hat

Geneviève Dufresne -- Quebec, Montreal

Joy Kennedy -- Ontario, Toronto

Ana Skinner -- Ontario, Toronto

Lindsay Thompson -- Manitoba, Winnipeg

Ginny Gonneau -- Ontario, Ottawa

Graham Erion -- Ontario, Toronto

Tracey Coates -- Ontario, Ottawa

Rohit Mehta -- Ontario, Mississauga

Stephanie Crocker - Ontario, Mississauga

Johanne Whitmore -- Quebec, Gatineau

Monique Chatterton -- Yukon, Whitehorse

Sarah Fairlie -- Quebec, Shelburne

Jean-Levy Champagne -- Quebec, Montreal

Mark Purdon -- Quebec, Montreal

Jeca Glor-Bell -- British Columbia, Vancouver

Meredith James -- Saskatchewan, Saskatoon

Rosa Kouri -- Ontario, Ottawa

Zoe Caron -- Nova Scotia, Halifax

Anjali Helferty -- Ontario, Ottawa

Boris Savoie-Doyer -- Quebec, Montreal

Vanessa Kam -- Ontario, Toronto

Tad Hargrave -- Alberta, Edmonton

Joanna Dafoe -- Ontario, Toronto

Jocelyn Sweet -- Ontario, Toronto

Dan Mossip-Balkwill -- Ontario, Toronto

Aftab Erfan -- Nova Scotia, Halifax

Barbara Hayes -- Ontario, Toronto

Laura MacPherson -- Ontario, Ottawa

Ben Powless -- Ontario, Ottawa

Cameron Stiff -- Quebec, Montreal

*Each person listed represents a youth organization in Canada. They have all signed on as individuals but in the coming weeks be seeking their organizations endorsement.