Tribune editorial: Utah officials need to wake up to the many plagues of climate change

If only we were given a sign.

How about these:

Utah has suffered more than 790 wildfires this season, according to state data, impacting more than 49,000 acres. Firefighting crews are spread perilously thin throughout the western United States.Air quality in Salt Lake City and other parts of the state has been throat-chokingly horrible this summer due to fires here and as far away as California and Oregon.Utah has been sweltering through day after day of record-breaking heat. At least four people are known to have died because of it. Scientists are starting to refer to it as “the new normal.”The Great Salt Lake, after showing some signs of recovery after the heavy snows of last winter, is receding again.The resulting exposure of lakebed is not only adding toxic chemicals to our air, it is pumping tons more greenhouse gases into the environment. That creates a particularly vicious cycle that will cause even more drought and further accelerate the lake’s disappearance. And all the other effects of climate change.

And the response of Utah’s political class?

Nothing.

Actually, worse than nothing. State and local officials, and our congressional delegation, can be relied upon to actively oppose every effort of the federal government and others to slow the climate emergency.

What are we waiting for? A plague of frogs?

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Tribune editorial: Utah officials need to wake up to the many plagues of climate change

Tribune editorial: Utah officials need to wake up to the many plagues of climate change

Tribune editorial: Utah officials need to wake up to the many plagues of climate change

Tribune editorial: Utah officials need to wake up to the many plagues of climate change

Tribune editorial: Utah officials need to wake up to the many plagues of climate change