By David S. Vogel and Thais Lopez Vogel, VoLo Foundation
The stories we read and watch about Climate Change are daunting.
According to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, “many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, and some of the changes already set in motion—such as continued sea level rise—are irreversible over hundreds to thousands of years.”

Faced with such dire projections, it is critical that we invest in the next generation who will have to continue the process of addressing climate change and finding solutions to curb the threats and generate global change. It is our duty to educate, support and provide young people with the tools for them to succeed. We can help them create their pathway to climate solutions by:
- Integrating environmental science into the curriculum of our schools, with a focus on scientific data to help students understand the effect our changing climate is having on our state.
- Supporting organizations that work with young people in low-income neighborhoods to educate them about the climate-change damage in their communities and empower them to prosper.
- Recognizing and incentivizing the achievements of young climate innovators. Our VoLo VISTA Award, for example, is a national competition for college graduate-level students who display exemplary leadership in driving climate solutions to directly benefit our state.
Some of the latest projects we have recognized include “Food Waste Recovery System” by Sarah Swiersz and Mohsina Mahmood, from the University of Central Florida, establishing a food waste recovery system within the Central Florida community; and “Resilience for Whom? a Climate Mobility Framework for Evaluating Equity Outcomes in Climate Change Adaptation” by Nadia Seeteram from Florida International University.
We are the ones responsible for global warming. We have the means to reverse it. Let’s support our brilliant young minds and provide them with the tools and incentives to continue innovating and providing solutions.
This crisis offers the opportunity of a lifetime for the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, researchers, and scientists – if we move quickly to help them fulfill the promises that world leaders have made in the Paris Climate Agreement to build a low carbon, net zero future.
To learn more about the 2022 VoLo Vista Award, visit https://volofoundation.org/vista/
David S. Vogel and Thais Lopez Vogel are Founders/Trustees of VoLo Foundation, a private family foundation established in 2014 that seeks to educate audiences on how to create a sustainable and secure planet for generations to come. To learn more, please visit please visit www.volofoundation.org and follow @volofoundation on social media.
“The Invading Sea” is the opinion arm of the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a collaborative of news organizations across the state focusing on the threats posed by the warming climate.