It was great to see front page coverage on Dec. 19 alerting readers that global warming forced our athletes training for the Korean Olympics to abandon the Wasatch Front, plus highlighting our abnormal lack of snow three days later because unless we rapidly transition to clean renewables, the future for the Winter Olympics looks bleak. The scientific consensus is we need to reduce fossil fuel combustion, but the plutocrats have managed to protect their profits through propaganda campaigns and political contributions.
I’m hopeful a broad grassroots campaign can succeed against these vested interests. I’m convinced a revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend quickly implemented across the economy would be the most effective and efficient first step with the least disruption to American families, but what do you think?
My New Year’s wish is for everyone to write a letter to the editor stating how they want Congress to address this biggest of threats so there’s a public-archived record of how we stand. This will at least provide comfort to our descendants coping with climate change that they had advocates or, better yet, it could create the political will to force Congress into action protecting we the people, instead of abetting corporate malfeasance valuing profit over planet.
Kevin Leecaster, Salt Lake City