Recent climate news has been bleak, from destruction in Nepal to warnings that the world is likely to exceed the 1.5 degrees warming target.
Small variations in degrees sound abstract, but they translate into more deadly heat, severe storms, flooding and threats to food supplies and ecosystems. Fatalism, however, is a mistake. Every fraction of a degree — and every ton of heat-trapping pollution we prevent — matters.
Here in Utah, climate change looks different, but the physics is the same. The Deseret News has reported our warmest winter on record and record-low snowpack.
Fortunately, solutions are growing here, too. Utah has abundant solar and geothermal resources, and nearly 49,000 clean-energy jobs. Solar recently generated more Utah electricity than any other source. Expanding clean energy can create jobs, strengthen our grid, attract rural investment and clean our air.
Climate change is not ideological. Heat-trapping gases warm the atmosphere regardless of politics. Ask Utah’s federal legislators who to enact practical, bipartisan climate solutions that reduce polluting emissions while strengthening our economy and energy security.
The warning from Nepal is loud enough to reach Utah — if we choose to hear it.
Karen Jackson,
Salt Lake City, Utah