As young people involved in Connecticut climate activism, we are deeply concerned about the climate crisis. That is also true of many of our peers, including those who have dedicated and sacrificed large parts of our lives to fighting climate change. Two weeks ago, the CT Mirror published an article titled “Is climate change a key issue for young voters? It’s complicated.” As young climate activists, for one of whom this will be the first opportunity to vote in a presidential election, we want to provide an additional perspective on this topic.  Young people are already taking action, however, many of us are cynical due to repeated political failure. We need politicians who follow through on climate action. A recent study found that almost 73% of youth are likely to vote for candidates who support climate action. Additionally, young people have embraced a variety of tactics to fight for action. Over the last five years, we’ve seen massive mobilizations for climate action, many led by young people and students. These include Fridays for Future climate strikes in 2019, mobilizing about 4 million people globally. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Sunrise Movement led a national campaign that resulted in more climate conversations at the federal level.  This summer, Protect Our Power, a youth coalition made hundreds of thousands of calls and knocked tens of thousands of doors for progressive candidates who have prioritized climate action, among other issues. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Sunrise Movement led a national campaign that resulted in more climate conversations at the federal level. Young people are concerned about climate change and are fighting for action, including through electoral politics. At the same time, we’ve seen U.S. politics fail to address climate change for our entire lives. In 1970, over 30 years before we were born, one of President Richard Nixon’s advisors wrote a memo detailing possible effects of climate change. In 1988, scientists told the Senate that global warming had begun.  Fifty four years after that initial memo, we’ve seen policy makers take enormous amounts of fossil fuel money, deny the existence of climate change, parrot industry talking points, and prioritize profit over our lives and communities. Even leaders like President Joe Biden, who campaigned on climate action, have expanded fossil fuel infrastructure, including through projects like the Willow Project and Mountain Valley Pipeline. These trends are also true in Connecticut. For example, some legislators have made blatantly false claims about climate science and we’ve seen years of delayed and failed action, including last year, when the legislature failed to pass their big climate bill or the Transportation and Climate Initiative before that.  Outside of climate change, the country has become more polarized, life expectancy has declined, and wealth inequality has increased. These trends have led to fear among young voters that governments are incapable of addressing the challenges that affect us. To build trust, we need political leaders to take real action, showing us they care through actions, not words.  Additionally, many young people and youth-led movements understand the need for climate justice and take an intersectional approach to climate change. We understand the connection with housing, and how leaders can address both housing inequality and the climate crisis. We advocate for clean energy jobs and opportunities for local workforces. We care about racial inequality, which has created systems that allow for the proliferation of fossil fuels and influences who is most affected by climate change. And, we call for an end to the genocide in Palestine, which contributes significantly to emissions, not to mention the horrendous violence against Palestinians.  Political leaders must recognize these intersections and pass policies, like the Green New Deal, addressing the climate crisis while recognizing that reducing inequity and moving towards a just and sustainable future is inextricably linked. We need elected officials who are willing to address climate change like the crisis it is, with facts — not misinformation. We need elected officials who refuse money from Big Oil, and whose priorities are not corrupted by dirty politics — politicians who understand the issues that climate change intersects with, including war, genocide, and ecocide, and who fight for climate action even when it is politically difficult.  Many young activists are repeatedly told we are the “future” and will “save the climate,” even while those in elected office have the power and ability to act.  Many young people are ready, willing, and already fighting for climate action. We need elected officials to do the same. In this year’s election, we will vote for climate action that includes housing justice, racial justice, workforce development, and international human rights. We will continue to call on elected officials to follow through on their campaign promises, act on climate change like the crisis it is, and prioritize communities over corporations.  Sydney Collins lives in Coventry. Sena Wazur lives in Mansfield.