This is a guest post from Bianca Smith, from Downers Grove South in Illinois. She’s both an ACE Media Team Journalist and the opinions editor at her high school’s newspaper, Blueprint.

The beauty of these next few months are normally obvious – the chilly breeze that cools you off after basking in the autumn sun, leaves of all colors clogging the streets, crinkling under your shoes can be a time of warmth and a static happiness.

Unfortunately this Fall, our environmental woes are more prevalent. The leaves just aren’t as vibrant, just a little too crinkly, and the weather will continue to fluctuate, never giving us the satisfaction of a true fall. One way we can prevent exponential damage to such a radiant time of year may be surprising to many: investing attention in the current presidential election.

Youth voting carries a great weight, yet barely gets the recognition it deserves. With many explicit factors contributing to the climate crisis going unnoticed, it is our job as young individuals to join together and take a stance on who offers the better prospect for stability within the world’s environmental conditions.

Whether you are old enough to vote this November or are preparing for future elections, the first step in choosing a climate-friendly candidate is doing your research on the environmental issues on hand and where the respective representatives stand. Becoming knowledgeable on laws that are proposed and/or denied is essential in having a voice in the debate of how to fight climate change. With help from credible sources, you can become eloquent on environmental issues.

Check out the EPA’s primer on climate

Another piece to consider is how high climate protection is on the candidate’s list of priorities. The economic crisis, foreign policy, and healthcare reform are issues at the forefront of the presidential race this year, with preventative climate change lagging behind.

Read up on who is in the know, willing to promote and follow through with environmental change

Voting on November 6 is necessary if we want to see a change in the way environmental issues are respected, and solved. If you aren’t old enough, get involved in different aspects of the election, like projects at school, getting people registered to vote or voicing your opinion on our blog. Engaging in the election this year and the rest that follow in turn will shape how climate change is affected in the long run.