People seem to agree on the desired outcome: to get us out of this fossil-fuel mess. While some laudable measures and efforts are under way at the local and state levels of government, Utah and our region need to take a comprehensive approach if we're going to achieve our potential.
Many organization leaders consider climate change the largest business risk they will face in the future. And as any organization must, Salt Lake City must manage this risk, as we have by announcing our own internal carbon-reduction goals. We must take real steps now to reduce our own level of risk and control it or have our options removed in the future and be required to take actions that will likely cost more. But we will never be as successful without support from our state and national governments. Firm carbon-reduction requirements will help invite investment in alternative energy, attract industries to supply it and create local jobs.
We have opportunities. We need leadership.
Gov. Jon Huntsman, six other Western governors and four Canadian premiers have combined to create the Western Climate Initiative, a regional cap-and-trade system that rewards companies for cutting globe-warming pollution.
As these leaders work to draft a final plan to be released in September, they must consider and include essential components to achieve the carbon reductions we need to prevent irreversible climate impacts.
To be effective, the WCI needs to include transportation fuels in the first phase, rather than waiting until 2015. Transportation makes up a quarter of Utah's emissions and contributes more than half of our regional air pollution. Given rising energy costs, we need to start working more vigorously on sustainable options like mass transit and efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles to give consumers the transportation choices they need.
The WCI initiative will support Utah's goal for a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2015. This would save Utah citizens and businesses over $7 billion in energy bills and create thousands of new homegrown jobs. Investing in energy-efficient homes and buildings today will save energy and money now while continuing to yield savings decades into the future. Energy-efficient homes can provide up to 50 percent energy savings for single-family households, and save homeowners an average of $1,100 annually on their energy bills, with positive monthly cash flow immediately.
The WCI will also spur investment in Utah's wind, solar and geothermal resources, which could generate billions of dollars in economic development and thousands of new long-term jobs. These efforts will lower future transportation and energy bills, give us greater energy security and clean up the notorious Wasatch Front haze - along with the many health problems, like asthma, that come with it.
While debate about the science of global warming is always welcome, Utah's Blue Ribbon Committee on Climate Change analyzed the issue using the best national and local experts and concluded that climate change is real and the need for immediate and strong action is critical to the long-term health and welfare of our state and future generations.
Unseasonable weather, forest fires, deadly increased bug infestations and water shortages due to climate change are already impacting businesses in the West, from ranching to tourism, and delay will only cost us more.
As Huntsman and other Western leaders put these forward-thinking solutions into practice, they can lead our region toward a healthy, secure future. As we clean up our air, we'll also create jobs and reduce Utahns' overall energy and transportation costs. In the face of rising gas and electricity prices, that's something we can all agree on.
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* RALPH BECKER is the mayor of Salt Lake City.
