SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A group of local high school students is taking a stand against environmental injustices, advocating for legislation that would make major polluters pay for climate damage.
The students are from high schools all across San Diego County, and they're a part of a statewide coalition called "Youth v. Oil". It works as part of a local nonprofit called San Diego 350, which focuses on climate justice.
Youth v. Oil is backing SB 684, known as the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025.
According to CALMATTERS, the bill would establish the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Program to be administered by the California Environmental Protection Agency to require fossil fuel polluters to pay their fair share of the damage caused by greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere during 1990 to 2024.
Youth v. Oil partnered with Council President Joe LaCava on the bill to get the City's support on the statewide bill.
"I strongly believe we need to remove the burden on our local taxpayers and hold fossil fuel companies and polluters accountable," LaCava said.
Emma Weibel is an intern at Youth v. Oil. She just graduated from a high school in La Jolla and said she's wasting no time in tackling environmental injustices.
"We simply do not have the time to wait for us to grow up and to gain the type of experience that our society seems to respect," Weibel said. "It is our future that's being decided on, so I think for us having a voice at the table is empowering."
Other high school students from across San Diego County who have joined the cause say they've personally felt the effects of recent environmental disasters in the region.
"We have members that live in Chula Vista and were impacted by the Border 2 fire earlier this year, and a lot of our members that live in the South Bays who have freeways going through their neighborhoods, increasing incidents of asthma," Weibel said.
Weibel said SB 684 is the biggest climate bill in California this year.
"It is the first piece of legislation that would hold polluters accountable for their past emissions, which are the ones that are currently causing the most damage," Weibel said.
During public comments on Thursday, one student called the January floods "a flashing warning sign of what [her] future will look like."
The students hope the bill will force large polluters to address environmental issues in local communities.
"This would mean more money for expanding our public transportation, moving back the rails from eroding cliffs, for updating our stormwater infrastructure, and continuing to fight for frontline communities," Weibel said.
The bill passed through the Rules Committee on Thursday and will now go before the full City Council within the next month.
