This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ten years ago, I was on a mission in the land of movie stars and sunshine in southern California. During this formative time, I was fortunate enough to train a new missionary from the tiny South Pacific nation of Kiribati. To say he experienced culture shock was an understatement. He jumped from a country of 100,000 people to Los Angeles. I still remember him walking down a grocery store aisle, his eyes wide with wonder when he tried his first Twinkie. He was simple, sincere, compassionate, humorous, happy and loving. I learned much from him.
My mind turned to my former companion recently as the president of Kiribati spoke from the climate summit in Paris. He talked of disappearing islands (due to rising seas), severe drought and the real possibility of climate refugees and even floating islands. I can't help but think of the injustice of this situation. The average American emits 25 times more greenhouse gases than a Kiribati citizen. Yet their homes, history and civilization are being lost as the climate's canary in the coal mine. If you support climate action and/or a revenue-neutral carbon tax, let your leaders know today!
Jared Buhanan-Decker
Murray