This story was first published capital and main.
As I was driving down Interstate 215 south of Salt Lake City in late January, I couldn't help but notice the bumper sticker on the pickup truck in front of me. One of his features a rattlesnake and the classic motto „Don't Tread on Me,“ which dates back to the Revolutionary War but has been adopted by many right-wing ideologues. Another features a map of the shrinking lake and the words „Keep Salt Lake Great,“ the motto of a local environmental group focused on protecting Utah's rivers and ecosystems. I did.
These dual perspectives perfectly capture the spirit of Utah, a deep-red state whose natural beauty is threatened by increasingly intense heat waves and extreme drought. It is a proud coal and oil producing country and is led by conservative MPs. According to a recent national survey It is one of the most Republican states in the country. Back in 2010, the Utah Legislature effectively made climate change denial state policy by requiring the EPA to „suspend carbon reduction policies, programs, and regulations until climate data and global warming science can be substantiated.“ A resolution was even passed to incorporate it.
But since then, Utah has become more affected by climate change than most other states, with temperatures in the state rising by about 30 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years. Twice the world average, and facing worsening droughts, wildfires, flash floods, and extreme heat waves. This impact has had a devastating impact on the health and well-being of the population, reducing farm productivity and increasing the prevalence of respiratory diseases, asthma and other heat-related illnesses.
And climate change is seriously damaging one of the state's natural wonders. A map on a truck driver's bumper sticker reveals how climate change has affected him. The Great Salt Lake was shrunk.Its area has been cut in half over the past few decades as the flow of mountain streams feeding the lake has declined and demand for fresh water for new development and agriculture has increased.
The crisis has also raised awareness of climate change in the state, with half of its residents affected by climate change. recent research Climate change is an extremely or very serious problem, with 64% saying they have noticed significant impacts from climate change in the past 10 years.
“Climate is a bigger issue for voters than it has been in the past,” said the government and business relations manager at Utah Clean Energy, a public interest group that launched a historic agreement bringing together more than 100 organizations in 2020. Josh Craft says. We invited state politicians and business leaders to join us to galvanize support for clean energy and ignite conversations about climate action and clean air solutions.
Bipartisan concern about climate change is now influencing politics in the state, where two self-identified climate candidates are running to replace Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate. . In total, There are five Republican candidates. The poll is over 3 percent, and three Democratic candidates are running in the June 25 primary.
In the Republican primary, front-runner Rep. John Curtis has emphasized the need to address the climate crisis and called for more support for clean energy. He founded and leads the Conservative Party's climate change group in parliament, which he accuses of failing to take climate change seriously.
„We want to work together as Republicans and Democrats, because at the end of the day, we all want to leave the planet in better shape than when we lived on it,“ Curtis said. recently told the Sierra Club. „That's how I talk about this. Who wouldn't want to leave Earth in better shape than we found it?“
But climate change activists are skeptical, saying Curtis relies too much on industry-friendly solutions such as carbon capture and some of President Biden's signature climate achievements, such as the Anti-Inflation Act. claims to be against.
In the Democratic primary, mountaineer and environmental activist Caroline Grich made climate action and air quality a major focus of her campaign. She rallied legislators across the state to take action to increase water flow to the Great Salt Lake and increase the use of renewable energy as part of a larger climate change response that includes cutting fossil fuel subsidies. It utilized funds from the Inflation Control Act for the purpose of expansion. protection of the nation and public lands; „Our mountains, our air, our rivers and lakes, our lives deserve respect,“ Gleich has said repeatedly.
But she sees a disconnect between public support for climate action and the policies pushed by state political leaders, with Congress recently passing an increase in EV charging taxes and a cut in gas taxes. pointed out. „And when you look at who's funding these candidates, you see a huge amount of oil, gas and fossil fuel companies funding them,“ Gleich said. Ta.
In fact, Mr. Curtis is a major award recipient.His district includes an area known as Carbon County because of its abundance of coal and natural gas, and he accepted $265,000 Mr. Curtis did not respond to a request for comment from Capital & Main.
Gleich's opinion is echoed by Zach Frankel of the Utah River Council, an environmental group that distributes Great Salt Lake bumper stickers. “We are in a climate of climate denial. Politicians may say it is real in an election year, but when you start asking whether we should adopt climate adaptation policies, they say no. Answer: They think any crisis is decades away.”
Frankel is encouraged by growing public concern about climate issues, including the shrinking Great Salt Lake, the largest remaining wetland ecosystem in the American West, and growing frustration over the lack of action. .
„Utah refuses to accept any meaningful policy plan to raise lake levels.“,” „The situation will have to get much worse before it gets better,“ he predicted.
As in other parts of the country, young voters in the state more galvanized They are more vocal about this issue and demanding action than older voters. on climate strike Last year, activists took to the steps of the Utah State Capitol to criticize Congress for not getting serious about reducing emissions. A push by lawmakers to reduce emissions at a U.S. magnesium plant that extracts lithium and magnesium from the Great Salt Lake has been reduced to a mere study of the effects of pollutants produced in the process.
„Young people are disproportionately affected by environmental concerns because it's their future,“ said Gleich, who at 38 is the youngest candidate in the Senate race. „That's what's at stake in this election.“