This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
During the last week of the Utah Legislature, I listened to nine courageous students give public comment to the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee. They all spoke in support of HJR018, "Joint Resolution on Economic and Environmental Stewardship." Rep. Becky Edwards, R-Bountiful, had introduced the resolution, which called on the state of Utah to study and create solutions to "address the causes and effects of measured changes to our global and regional climates." The public comments were 15 in favor and 0 against, but the resolution failed to pass out of committee on a 5-5 vote.
Why did the students leave class and drive from as far away as Logan to address the House committee? They did it because they had written an earlier version of this resolution and were highly invested in seeing it passed. On Jan. 25, the students visited the state Capitol, resolution in hand, to talk with legislators and seek a sponsor. They found a supporter in Sen. Jim Dabakis, who sponsored the resolution as SJR09. However, Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee Chair Margaret Dayton refused to hear the resolution with the words "climate change," so Dabakis held a mock hearing where the students spoke to an audience of about 200 people, including 13 legislators and more than 4,000 others who viewed the event live on Facebook. (The recording Dabakis posted on Facebook has received over 14,000 views!) Subsequent to the hearing, Edwards revised the resolution and submitted it as HJR018.
Students are also working to get climate action at the federal level. For instance, students are vital members of the non-partisan Citizens' Climate Lobby. This grassroots organization is developing the political will to address climate change in Congress. Last summer nine Utah students and recent graduates joined nine older adults in Washington, D.C., to meet with Utah members of Congress and their aides, advocating for a carbon fee and dividend solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They were remarkably effective.
Why are students increasingly getting politically involved with the issue of climate change? One reason is that more and more students understand the significant risks of a damaged climate for their generation. For the past eight years on the first day of class, BYU Professor Zach Anderud has asked his students to stand on one side of the room if they thought humans were mostly responsible for a warming climate, and to stand on the other if they didn't. When he started this exercise, they split about 50/50. In the past two years, however, Anderud reports that almost every student indicated they recognized the reality of human-caused climate change.
Not surprisingly, the American Academy of Pediatrics has the students' backs. In a 2014 official policy statement, "Global Climate Change and Children's Health," the academy asserted, "failure to take prompt, substantive action would be an act of injustice to all children."
When one thinks of students becoming politically active, they often think of students marching or protesting. You can probably sense how differently the students who wrote the resolution have been approaching the issue. They are working through respectful dialog with their elected officials. During the committee hearing, Rep. Carol Spackman Moss related her experience hearing the students in the mock hearing. She told how she dragged herself to the hearing, being tired after a long day at the legislature. After attending the hearing, however, she left feeling energized and hopeful. Thanks to the students, I feel hopeful, too.
David Folland, M.D., is a retired pediatrician and volunteer Utah State Coordinator of Citizens' Climate Lobby.