This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Nature abhors a vacuum, so how is she going to deal with the void left by the Trump administration's dismissal of climate change? In nature's arsenal: floods, wildfires, drought, extreme heat, hurricanes, extinctions and more.
Luckily, the vacuum is mostly at the top.
Many cities, counties and states are moving on their own to reduce fossil fuel consumption. Salt Lake City, for example, has pledged to make city utility sources carbon free by 2032 and to meet at least half its municipal energy needs with renewables by 2020. And Park City and Moab have committed to power their communities entirely with clean energy by 2032.
Never has "think globally, act locally" carried such weight. As individuals, we can reduce our carbon footprint with simple (line-drying clothes) to large-scale (rooftop solar, electric car) actions.
We can contact our elected representatives to make our views known. We can join climate action groups such as Citizens Climate Lobby. We can ask employers or influential acquaintances to call for climate solutions. We can elect different people if our current officials fail to act.
The vacuum may be at the top, but action comes from the bottom. And as we know, heat rises.
Marjorie McCloy
Salt Lake City