Youthpower Climate Action recently announced winners in the first round of their Art for the Climate Contest.

The theme for this year’s contest was the draft Environmental Impact Report regarding the Oakland Airport expansion project. Participants were asked to create a short essay, speech, poster, picture, song, or cartoon about the negative impacts adding more flights would have on air quality, climate change, and our health.

Six of the 10 contest winners were from the City of Alameda: Jaronte F., seventh grade song winner; Madison H., fourth grade speech winner; Elijah H., seventh grade visual art winner – “Ashen Nightmare”; Katie J., fourth grade visual art winner – “Effects of Climate Change on Islands”; Neel B., 10th grade computer arts winner; and Noah L., seventh grade speech winner.

“One round trip flight from the Oakland Airport to the Honolulu Airport releases enough CO2 to melt 14.2 meters of Arctic ice,” stated Noah L.’s winning speech. “In 77 years in Alameda there will be 1-yard rise in sea level, according to the city’s Climate and Resiliency Plan. This will mean that more than half of Bay Farm Island will be covered in water.”

Other contest winners include: Shaafiyah F. from Pleasanton, 11th grade speech winner; Emi M. from Oakland, second grade visual arts winner – “The Poor Polar Bears”; Erika N. from Orinda, fifth grade speech winner; and Sierra M. from Oakland, seventh grade essay winner.

“Young people understand that climate change is real and it’s now,” said Youthpower adult advisor Heather MacLeod. “It doesn’t make sense to enable more flights when our collective challenge is to cut our emissions. I feel proud of and impressed with all of these entries.”

The Port of Oakland, which operates the Oakland Airport (OAK), announced plans to undergo an airport expansion project that will add a new terminal to OAK with 16 new airline gates. Many Bay Area environmental advocates and Alameda residents are opposed to the plan citing health and environmental risks.

Youthpower Climate Action is a youth climate advocacy group. To join the Youthpower Climate Action group, email youthpower4climate@gmail.com. To view the winning entries, visit www.youthpowerclimateaction.org.