Climate change top of mind for Gen Z voters in presidential election, UIC students say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- In ABC7's continued look at the youth vote in the upcoming presidential election, "The Z Vote" series is focusing on the topic of climate change.

It's a key issue among Gen Z voters, and the candidate that gets higher marks for their message on climate change is not as cut and dry as one might think.

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ABC7's series "The Z Vote," where we dive into the political issues on the minds of Gen Zers, continues.

University of Illinois Chicago environmental student Gerardo Ayala spent six months working in the soils lab at UIC, trying to make one step forward in combating climate change.

"I'm 21 years old and climate change has happened my whole life," Ayala said.

For the first-time voter, air pollution, wildfires and hurricanes turned catastrophic in under a day are all top of mind.

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"Hurricane Milton that turned into a Category 5 hurricane in under 12 hours," Ayala said. "[It typically takes] days. Even when it's days, it's not [Category] 1 to 5."

He said that is why he wants a president that believes in climate change and will put policies forth, like taxing greenhouse gas and incentivizing reducing carbon footprints and having healthy soil without contamination.

"These samples are more orange than regular and they're not supposed to be like that," Ayala said of his soil research. "The housing material that was on it before, came with the soil we extracted."

While Ayala leans towards Kamala Harris, other voters aren't happy with any candidate. Carolynn Sagi said she's voting independent because no one has done enough to help those impacted the most.

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"The South Side has a lot of non-green areas, and so if increasing temperatures, families are affected in that way, they're more likely to have heat stroke, more likely to have heat related illnesses," Sagi said.

As Sagi spends her summers gathering temperature data around the city with sensor, there's a sense of urgency. Chicago broke a record for the warmest daily temperature recorded on October 29, hitting above 80 degrees.

The students are making a point that it doesn't have to be this way, but fixing the issues comes with a ticking clock.

"The climate clock has four years," Ayala said. "It means there's four years left to combat the worst possible outcomes of climate change... Category 5 hurricanes every week [if we don't combat it.]"

They're reminding their peers of the issues through art work.

"Just because it's not what it used to be, doesn't mean we're doomed," UIC soils lab manager Ellie Wasilewski said.

They students are also by casting a ballot, all to say it's not too late.

"My vote will help my voice be heard," Ayala said.