Hawaiʻi's Department of Transportation is accepting applications for its very first youth climate council.
The creation of council is one of the terms that the state agreed to in a historic climate settlement this summer after a group of young plaintiffs sued the department to push for more climate action.
The youth council will advise the DOT as it works to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Laura Kaʻakua, the climate adaptation and mitigation manager, encourages anyone aged 11-24 who is interested to apply.
"They don't have to come in knowing strategies for climate mitigation," she said. "We're really asking them to just bring who they are as a person, representing their community, their ʻohana and their value system onto the council."
Kaʻakua said the department hopes the council will have representation from across the islands and is especially interested in seeing more applications from kids on Maui, Molokaʻi and Kauaʻi.
Plaintiffs involved in the climate settlement will be present at Saturday's youth climate summit at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol.
Our Children's Trust attorney Andrea Rogers, who represented the young plaintiffs in their lawsuit, said the summit is a great opportunity for young people to hear from their peers about what it is like to work with state officials on climate action.
"It's really exciting to see HDOT and the youth leading the way in Hawaiʻi towards climate justice," Rogers said.
The deadline to apply is Nov. 25. Find a link to the application portal here.
