facebook-pixel

Letter: We can’t erase our carbon footprint overnight, but we can take some action

(Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Smoke from wildfires burning across the western U.S. is worsening air conditions on the Wasatch Front, as seen in downtown Salt Lake City Wednesday, September 6, 2017.

I am a hypocrite. Well, not entirely. I’ve paid out lots of American dollars to reduce our household's carbon footprint. But I have no intention of withdrawing into the woods and doing without automobile transportation, jet aircraft transportation, electric lighting, computers, etc. Actually, I might consider withdrawing into the woods if I had sufficient knowledge to utilize sunlight and atmospheric carbon to make anything I like.

The way I look at it is we have a fossil carbon budget we can use any way we like. I'm simply realistic about it. Humans aren't capable of changing the course of a Titanic instantaneously. One sensible course of action is to budget ourselves an amount of fossil carbon energy that it takes for us to transition off fossil carbon energy.

By the way, this in no way implies that we will avoid serious negative consequences through responsible action today. No, sorry. The option of no consequences is long gone. We'll be doing well to cope with the damage we’ve already done.

The way I choose to use the carbon budget is in supporting a transition from fossil carbon energy to less expensive energy.

Charles Ashurst, Logan

Submit a letter to the editor