Leah Stokes

5 days ago | independent.com | Leah Stokes |Paasha Mahdavi

On Tuesday, May 13, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will be taking on a big issue. At the meeting in Santa Maria, the supervisors will consider proposals to phase out our county’s onshore oil production. It’s a discussion that is long overdue. Because the evidence is clear — pumping oil harms our environment, damages our health, warms the planet, and does little to boost our economy. To protect our community, the board should take bold steps now to phase out existing oil wells.

Aug 30, 2024 | yahoo.com | Leah Stokes

Leah C. StokesAugust 30, 2024 at 2:38 PM·4 min readTwo weeks ago, I dropped my 3-year-olds off at school for the first time. It was a happy day — until I learned that the California state Assembly was planning to gut a crucial program designed to keep kids like mine safe in the classroom. CalSHAPE, or the California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing, and Efficiency Program, helps schools improve air quality and cooling.

Aug 5, 2024 | theguardian.com | Leah Stokes

Two years ago today, I watched as Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for the largest climate investment in American history. It was an emotional moment. After decades of inaction, America had finally passed a climate law – one of the strongest climate laws in the world. I didn’t know it then, but a month later I would get a call asking if I would like to interview the vice-president about climate policy.

Sep 11, 2023 | latimes.com | Jonathan Klein |Leah Stokes

From kindergarteners to high school seniors, millions of young Californians are back in the classroom. As parents in the state, we want our kids to thrive in healthy, modern learning environments. But California’s school buildings have some major problems: They’re old, polluting and fail to protect students from the worsening climate crisis. The majority of our school buildings were designed for a California where triple-digit heat waves, wildfires and superstorms struck less frequently.

Aug 14, 2023 | msn.com | Leah Stokes

Last April, I decided to break up with my gas company. It wasn’t me; it was them. Like so many other fossil-fuel companies, SoCalGas was lobbying against clean energy while it continued to spew carbon pollution into the atmosphere. Yet here I was, an academic who had devoted my life to advancing clean energy, still paying them money, month after month. I’d had enough. But like a divorce after a long marriage, the process was even more complicated than I had thought.