As an Oregonian, Declan Zupo experiences the impact of climate change firsthand. “Wildfires are a persistent problem, and you’ve seen how they’ve been exasperated in the last few years,” said Declan Zupo, a third-year student at the University of Oregon, “last year, during the wildfires, our AC system was filtering the smoky air, so I had to wear a mask to sleep.” 

To address this ever-growing issue, Declan joined the Climate Justice League his freshman year. The Climate Justice League is a student-led program at the University of Oregon advocating for climate action at a local level. 

“Since 2010, the Climate Justice League has been organizing around social and environmental injustices in Eugene,” said Zupo. “On a broader scale, we are looking at our university’s emissions.

He is the co-lead for the campaign “Fossil Free UO,” pressuring the university to reduce fossil fuel emissions. “This past year it came out that the University of Oregon’s boiler system is the single largest fossil fuel emitter in Eugene,” he said. 

To combat this, Declan is working on passing the Green New Deal, which would require the university to divest from fossil fuels.

Declan and the Climate Justice League collaborate with other nationwide programs, like the Sunrise Network and the Campus Climate Network, which work to get universities to move towards sustainable energy approaches. At the University of Oregon, the Green New Deal combines several policies, including installing LED lights, improving heating and cooling efficiency, and regulating power use during school breaks. 

His work on the project hasn’t gone unnoticed by fellow Climate Justice League members. “I am so glad he is co-leading this campaign,” said Jack Dotson, fellow co-coordinator of Fossil Free UO, “he is absolutely dedicated to making this university as clean as possible.” 

“He is always coming up with the best ideas,” said Dotson. “The Green New Deal, which is one of the core aspects of the Fossil Free UO campaign, was all his idea and he’s bottomlining most of the work.”

Declan believes climate change is linked to broader social justice issues. “I think that climate change is an issue of social justice,” said Zupo. “Those already affected by inequalities in our system are going to feel the brunt of the changes.”

Last spring, Declan interned with the University of Pennsylvania through their My Climate Story program, an environmental humanities project focusing on some of the smaller implications of climate change. 

“I talked to a groundskeeper who told me they can’t plant native plants at the university because our climate is starting to become similar to Northern California’s, and the plants cannot adapt or survive here,” said Zupo. “Those are the smaller issues people don’t really talk about.”

The 2024 pPresidential eElection and each candidate’s stance on climate issues had led Declan to question his political affiliation. 

“For a long time I would consider myself a more centrist Democrat, but I would like some pushback on certain issues,” he said. “Regarding climate change, the Ddemocratic values are kind of a nonstarter.” 

“I would love to say I could believe in some third party having a chance, but I feel like directing my vote away from the Democratic Party has bad implications,” Zupo saidadded. 

Declan emphasizes the need for immediate action. “A lot of climate change effects are irreversible,” he said, “but pushing universities to commit to climate action can make a powerful impact.”