Montpelier student urges committee to preserve Vermont's Global Warming Solutions Act

Sam Boyce, a 17-year-old junior at Montpelier High School, told the Natural Resources & Energy Committee that Vermont should not weaken the Global Warming Solutions Act and called for continued climate action.

"Climate change does affect the youth of Vermont," Boyce said, arguing that changing the law would send a message that the state does not view climate change as urgent. He told the committee he plans to study environmental science in college and described the Act as "the right direction for climate action in Vermont."

Boyce told committee members he has seen the local impacts of extreme weather. "I witnessed the flooding firsthand in Montgomery and saw how much damage it actually did to our city," he said, describing streets covered in mud and damaged businesses and saying downtown merchants had to discard inventory. He also said Montpelier High School's gardens "lost the majority of the soft soil and the food that already had been planted."

The student described the financial trade-offs behind climate policy but warned of the costs of inaction. "I do understand that it would be very expensive to implement changes that help mitigate and stop Vermont's contributions to climate change, but I think it's important to consider how much it will cost if we do nothing," Boyce said.

Committee members asked about Boyce's school activities. Boyce said he is a member of the Earth Group, a student club at Montpelier High School, and estimated about 10 students participate. He described a recent clothing swap and fashion show conducted during a school "solar block" assembly to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of clothing and to showcase thrifted outfits. Boyce also said the school does not have a formal makerspace but holds occasional "enrichment" sessions that have included sewing workshops.

Senator Ruth Hardy of the Addison District, who introduced the session earlier, thanked Boyce for speaking and said she agreed with the sentiment that older generations should not push problems onto younger people. "I really appreciate your sentiments," Hardy said.

The transcript does not record any committee votes or formal action on the Global Warming Solutions Act during this session. The exchange was a presentation and a brief question-and-answer period with committee members.

Boyce closed by urging lawmakers to retain the current law's deadlines and provisions. "It's not okay for the people in charge to force the next generation to fix problems that they did not want to deal with," he said, asking the committee to consider long-term costs when evaluating any rollback of climate measures.

No motion or decision was recorded in the transcript related to the statute; the committee's discussion in the provided segment consisted of testimony and follow-up questions.