Carbon dioxide emissions, if not curtailed, will continue to melt the polar ice, raising sea levels and changing weather patterns around the Earth. Future generations of Utahns will have prolonged droughts, heat waves and a reduced mountain snowpack to deal with. And they'll have their ancestors - us - to thank for their troubles.
But all is not lost. The Advisory Council, in a voluminous report authored by researchers, set the table for state lawmakers by offering a smorgasbord of options to help reduce the state's growing greenhouse gas emissions through new legislation and rule changes. Now it's time for the Legislature to get cooking.
Council members considered all sorts of steps we can take, about 200 in all, and pared the list down to 72 for the state's consideration. (If you want specifics, you can read the report at www.deq.utah.gov/BRAC Climate/final report.htm.)
The list includes 25 options classified as high-priority "no-brainers," i.e., options with significant benefits that can be readily implemented at a reasonable cost. Those steps - tax credits and incentives for renewable energy, appliance efficiency standards, public education efforts, converting landfill gas to energy, improved building codes, etc., etc., etc., - should be taken immediately.
Another 39 steps, everything from carbon cap-and-trade programs to better manure management, were deemed worthy of consideration. And lawmakers should start considering them without delay.
A few options are categorized as "difficult," but that shouldn't be a deterrent. Nobody said this would be easy.
It should also be noted that we can't do it alone. We'll need the cooperation of either the federal government or 49 other states, along with the rest of the world.
No doubt, saving the Earth without killing the economy is a daunting task. It's also achievable.
Saving the Earth without killing the economy is a daunting task.
