Letter to the Editor On behalf of the Will Steger Foundation's Expedition Copenhagen, I ask you to join me in calling for a strong global climate agreement in 2009. We are currently setting the course for our country and for the world for many years to come. The United States Senate will soon vote on the climate bill, and we are mere weeks from the United Nations' Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The growing youth climate movement is calling for swift and bold action to address climate change and jumpstart the transition to a clean energy economy worldwide.

I urge you to add your voice to support action that will determine the health of the world we inherit. You may think climate policy should be left to world leaders, but climate policy is also a personal issue. Young people across the globe will bear the brunt of global warming consequences throughout our lifetime. Without key policy measures to encourage clean energy solutions, we will inherit a more turbulent and expensive future as a result of unchecked global warming. Here in the Midwest we risk losing many of our manufacturing and agricultural jobs. On the global scale, we risk facing more frequent conflicts caused by resource competition. We need policy decisions that will grow our economy in ways that create new long-term employment opportunities, support the transition to a clean energy economy, and secure a safe and healthy future for us and our children.

Beyond personal politics, climate policy is a moral issue. An equitable global climate treaty is needed to create international solidarity that safeguards the developmental aspirations and survival of our peers in the most vulnerable countries. While developed countries make up only 20 percent of the world's population, the U.S. has been a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. The Midwest, in particular, has played a disproportionate role in this contribution, and has significant resources for solutions. Because of these factors, the U.S. has tremendous responsibility as global citizens to take bold action on climate change and assist other countries as they adapt. Because of the reasons listed above, I am excited and honored to be participating in the Will Steger Foundation's Expedition Copenhagen, a Midwest youth delegation to the international climate negotiations in Denmark, Dec. 4-19.

Our delegation of 12 young climate leaders will be observing the negotiations, collaborating with other youth from around the globe, presenting to an international audience and blogging back on the connections between global climate solutions and U.S./Midwest leadership. Follow us online at http://willstegerfoundation.org/blog. Climate change is the critical issue of our time. Delaying is no longer an option. Opportunities will be squandered and the economic, environmental and social costs and risks of inaction will only continue to grow. Tangible, realistic solutions exist on a local, national, and global scale but without a strong commitment from the United States we will not see the traction we need in the time we need to see it. I am issuing an urgent call for your leadership and action to create meaningful change--please join me in speaking out now. I encourage you to contact Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin in anticipation of the Senate vote.

Danielle Ostafinski