One of the perennially refreshing aspects of politics is that even in times of great skepticism or disillusionment, young people find and bring their energy and enthusiasm to the endeavor of the public discourse. Perhaps it is their idealism. Some might blame their naiveté. But they see in it an opportunity to make real change in the world they are planning to inherit. That willingness to commit to the cause (whatever the cause may be) in spite of all the obvious challenges reenergizes everyone. It is a light that truly does light the world.

It is also, however, a perennial problem of electoral politics that young people by and large do not vote. Voters, typically, are middle-aged and middle class. This demographic fact has special meaning in college towns such as Cambridge, where students make up a large portion of the population but take up little space in the voting booth. Ask anybody who’s ever run for an elected office. Candidates are often advised not to bother courting students. Of course, Matt DeBergalis almost proved this wrong with his quixotic 2003 MIT-based campaign for the Council that came a half a hair shy of victory. But as a general rule, it is sadly closer to the truth. It makes the record-low turnouts of recent elections disheartening.

Young professionals represent a piece of the future of the city and keeping attuned to their concerns is a prime task especially when they are unlikely to express their concerns at the ballot box. When Galin Brooks, who worked on my own Council run in 2005 and later put together the Sweet Soul Supper for the Margaret Fuller House, wondered aloud to me why Harvard students don’t hang out in the Coop she clearly was comparing it to her college days, which apparently were filled with long afternoons in the student center talking over the latest news.

I don’t know why Harvard students avoid the Coop. Perhaps like everything else in Harvard Square, it has become too expensive. Or, like many of the local businesses, students have decided to either pack it in or look elsewhere. The block that held Ferrante-Dege (the camera store), and Toscanini’s (the ice cream store) and Leavitt & Pierce (the tobacconist) is under major reconstruction. This is, apparently, a Harvard Real Estate project.

However, for all Galin’s concerns, I don’t think Harvard Square is going to disappear. It has amenities that even the first European settlers of Cambridge noticed back in 1630, when they chose the spot in front of Peet’s Coffee across the street from the Staples to first plant their first flag. The street that meanders in front of Cardullo’s, once a stream that marked the outer boundary of the pre-colonial settlement, has since become an asphalt stream. There is a persistence to human habitation that leaves its trace on the landscape. Current economic wrenching aside, Harvard Square will persist too.

Unless, of course, scientists’ worrying predictions are right.

At a recent conference in Boston, Ed Mazaria, architect and advocate for a radical rethinking of the field of architecture in the face of the global warming challenge, showed slides indicating the real impact of increased carbon dioxide on cities on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. He noted that climatologists predict rising sea-levels as temperatures rise. A recent EPA report noted, “during the last interglacial period (100,000 years ago) when temperatures were about 1º C (2º F) warmer, sea level was approximately 6 meters (20 feet) higher than today”. Some predict that rising CO2 levels may bring about a 5º C rise in global temperature. Mazaria showed the effects of a 6-meter rise on coastal cities using satellite photographs and replacing land area with water to demonstrate just how much will be underwater. The impact is devastating. Most of Boston, Cambridge and the surrounding area become inundated. So do Manhattan, Los Angeles and Waikiki. As Mazaria said, this is not a problem for just Bangladesh.

These are sobering and dire predictions about our future not just in this city, but on this planet. Yet Mazaria noted that all is not lost. Every day, the sun sends to the earth enough energy to power every house in the United States with plenty left over. The challenge is figuring out how to capture that energy and put it to use to meet Americans’ daily needs.

That is why the recent announcement of the Cambridge Energy Alliance is so astounding and important. The partnering of the Kendall Foundation with the City of Cambridge to explore ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is a truly historic moment, for this city, and eventually for cities across this country.

So, the next time Galin sits down with friends over a cup of coffee, she’ll have something very interesting to talk about.