By GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA

After a few frightening incidents seeing family and friends collapse in Phoenix’s grueling heat, Ashton Dolce, 17, began to wonder why his country’s leaders were not doing more to keep people safe from climate change.

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“I was just dumbfounded,” Dolce said.

He became active in his hometown, organizing rallies and petitions to raise awareness about extreme heat and calling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make such conditions eligible for major disaster declarations.

Just before his senior year of high school in 2024, Dolce got the chance to really make his concerns heard: He became one of 15 students across the United States selected to join the FEMA Youth Preparedness Council, a 13-year-old program for young people to learn about

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