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An authoritative report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found that humans have pushed our climate into unprecedented territory, all but ensuring communities around the globe will experience increased drought, flooding, and fires for at least the next 30 years. While extractive industries have sowed doubt about the science of climate change, the sprawling report labels the findings "overwhelming" and "established fact."
While the report does paint a bleak picture of a future without ambitious action, it also establishes a roadmap to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change. In the best case scenarios, countries rapidly phase out the development of fossil fuels, curb methane emissions, and find innovative ways to pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
In the United States, the federal government and many Western states are taking action to curb climate pollution and bolster a clean energy economy. Just in the last week, the Biden administration announced plans to speed the adoption of electric vehicles, the Interior Department moved forward with three major renewable energy projects, and the Bureau of Land Management is expected to soon announce recommendations on how to reform the system governing oil and gas drilling on public lands.
In Nevada, voters recently approved a landmark resolution to obtain 50% clean energy by 2030, and the state legislature adopted a resolution to support conserving 30% of America's lands and waters by 2030. New Mexico recently adopted ambitious standards to reduce methane pollution from oil and gas development. And Colorado enacted stringent oil and gas regulations to protect public health and the environment.
The United Nations report is dire, with Secretary General António Guterres calling the findings "a code red for humanity." However, the opportunities are also clear—nations and communities across the United States can seize the opportunity to conserve the natural places we hold dear while capitalizing on innovation and clean energy.
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Utahns are already choking on wildfire smoke, facing historic drought conditions and suffering sweltering heat waves. This colossal waste of public funds advances a filthy oil train that will only make our climate emergency worse.”
