Among the new clubs at Independence, Indy Fights Climate Change is one of the most noteworthy this year. The club, whose co-presidents are juniors Enjy Tsogt-Erdene and Sophia Durso, aims to educate students about the effects of climate change while doing community service work. 

According to Tsogt-Erdene, she decided to start the club after reading the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. over the summer. “I read the recent IPCC report coming out and saying we’re at code red, and this worried me. And I think that everyone, like, needs to know about this club and climate change because it will affect our future generations.”

She also discussed systematic issues that drove worsening climate change. “I believe that it is capitalism and also big industries like gas companies that are a big major problem because it’s a big cause of climate change now. So I think that if everyone steps up and starts believing in it, we have the power to potentially change our future.”

Mrs. Stacey Cole, a biology teacher at Independence and one of the two sponsors of the club, with fellow biology teacher Asia Arnold, also talked about the importance of understanding the effects of climate change. “One degree could cause things we’re seeing now, you know, with sea-level rise, these unusual earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, and places that haven’t ever had them before. So yeah, to me, there’s real importance there because it’s happening as we speak.” 

Cole also discussed the number of students signed up in the club, which is currently 50. “Just the simple fact that there are so many students who want to do something, that speaks a lot.”