I am a constituent of Sen. Mitt Romney, Sen. Mike Lee, and Rep. Burgess Owens. With this letter I am asking for their help. I have lived in Utah for over 40 years and work in medicine and teaching. I have watched as Salt Lake City has had more inversions over decades that last so much longer. When it is a clear day, it is so nostalgic. I worry about the impact on Utah, its business opportunities, and on Utahns’ health.
Intriguingly, and what may be our future, new visibility of the Himalayas both in India and in Nepal occurred as a result of the COVID lockdown in 2020. Ten days after the lockdown in Punjab, India, the “Himalayas were unveiled” as described in the New Yorker (April 4, 2020). Those born 40 years before reported never having seen the mountain range because of vast pollution. The residents of this town check the temperature less often than they do the air quality index.
Is this our and our children’s future? Our common goal is a realistically good future. This future is possible. I am hoping that you, our legislators, will take the courageous step to support solutions for climate change. I am part of the Sierra Club of Utah and am asking you to sign on to the THRIVE (Transform, Heal and Renew by Investing in a Vibrant Economy) act that has climate change as one of its several admirable foci. The THRIVE act will help our community in Utah lead healthy and safe lives.
This is the most important time in our lifetime. We need to take action to help all of the people and all living things on this planet. It is our #Time to Thrive.
Kathy Pedersen, Salt Lake City