Santa Cruz County paid intern Jennifer Hernandez speaks about the meaning of equity at her Santa Cruz County Climate Action Plan presentation at the Santa Cruz County Democratic Women’s Club on Saturday. (Aric Sleeper / Santa Cruz Sentinel)

SANTA CRUZ — A panel of speakers from the county’s Emergency Response and Recovery Office, including four student interns, discussed the county’s efforts to create climate change preparedness and climate adaptation. planjoined members of the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County on Saturday morning to discuss current and future efforts the county government is taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Senior Management Analyst Response, Recovery and Resilience Office Tatiana Brennan, along with County Response, Recovery and Resilience Director David Reed and four paid interns, led a speaking panel in the community room of the Santa Cruz Police Department.

Reade said the three Rs in the office’s name are about the response and recovery efforts that followed the winter storms that devastated Santa Cruz County, as well as ongoing resilience. I spoke.

“What we have learned, and continue to learn, from the two most recent federally declared disasters is that recovery is as important to our communities as it is to respond,” said Reed. said. “Recovery begins quickly in the weeks, months and years after a natural disaster, restoring the sense of loss felt by our communities and their members.”

Mr. Brennan spoke about the process of climate change response and adaptation planning and the origins of local non-profit government agencies. Central Coast Community Energy, which later became a locally adopted organization. Mr. Brennan also outlined the county’s climate goals and strategies, including increasing housing stock, supporting healthy ecosystems and supporting local communities, decarbonization, and youth participation in the process.

“The reality is that it’s up to us whether young people are ready to meet the challenges ahead,” Brennan said. “You can see it in the four interns that are part of the climate policy internship because that is our job as managers and something we take very seriously at the county. It’s important to support young people across the county.”

The first intern to speak was Kathleen McLaughlin, a student at California State University, Monterey Bay, who helped develop a complement to the county’s Action and Adaptation Plan. story mapspoke about the uncertain future associated with climate change and personal debates about whether it’s moral to have a family of your own. She pointed out that humans are not the only ones to be adversely affected by the impacts of climate change.

“We have addressed several sensitive species of particular concern through fish and wildlife conservation and management projects,” McLaughlin said. “We have learned how important habitat conservation is to protect these populations that are adversely affected by climate change.”

Ian Nieves, a student and county intern at Cabrillo University, is seeking a grant to send students abroad to learn about global climate change issues and the impact of climate change on communities in Southern County and Pajaro. He talked about the Capstone Project.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that the recent winter storms have devastated our community, especially South County,” said Nieves. “Now is the time when we need to come together as a community and donate our time and energy to help with the recovery. is important.”

To help those affected by the winter storms, Nieves called on community members to: volunteer or donate to county disaster relief fund.

Rowena Bush, a student and intern at the University of California, Santa Cruz, addresses the issue of affordable housing on climate change, particularly by moving students and He spoke of the need for high-density development at affordable prices for service workers.

“Many college students and workers have to commute long distances to Santa Cruz for classes and work,” President Bush said. “During the development of climate change response and adaptation plans, we found that transportation was the largest component of the county’s emissions.”

Jennifer Hernandez, a student at Cabrillo University, Watsonville Wetland ObservationSo let’s talk about the use of words like equity and diversity and how those words are often spoken by people in the workplace who don’t actually take action to make that concept a reality in real life. Discussed.

“Let’s stop using the words equitable, equitable and diverse without any real meaning,” Hernandez said. “This just makes words repetitive and they lose their power. The next step is not to find alternative words, but rather to make these words true.”

The presentation ended with questions and comments from the audience and two questions for the student interns. It’s one of the things he changes about the world and how he sees himself after college. Although the interns’ responses varied, three out of four said they would leave the area after graduation to attend graduate school or simply to live in a less expensive area.

“I can’t imagine myself staying here,” McLaughlin said. “I’m going to look for a bigger city or a more affordable place.”