Letter to the Editor: Fighting climate change

Dear Editor:

All my life, my younger brother and I have been trying to escape the dark clouds of smog that loom over Los Angeles. Growing up in Downey, only a 20 minute drive from Downtown LA, left little room for us to breathe clean healthy air.

According to Dr. Allen Frischer, Downey Regional Medical Center’s former chief of staff and medicine, “88% of the world’s population breathes air that does not meet the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines,” which includes Downey residents like my brother, who suffers from asthma.

The effects of climate change leave people like my brother and the two million other Californians who suffer from asthma in a state of constant worry for their health.

However, it is not too late to fight for clean air. With the passage of Senate Bill 100 in 2018, Governor Newsom has committed California to 100% renewable energy by 2045, a huge victory in the battle against climate change.

Commitments like these could not be made without the help of groups such as CALPIRG Students, a statewide student organization that fights for environmental justice. Currently, CALPIRG Students is working to speed up California’s commitment to 100% renewable energy by 2045 to 2030.

This move will not only set a precedent for other states’ reaction to climate change, but will also help reverse some of the detrimental effects of unhealthy air on Angelenos and more importantly, the world.

Zoelli Ortiz
Downey