Arizona’s Future Is At Risk. It’s Time To Act On Climate
By Amber Reader, June 19th, 2022
As climate change continues to fuel more wildfires and extreme weather events, Arizona communities will continue to suffer the consequences.
The world is in an unprecedented situation. Carbon pollution is threatening our communities, disrupting our economy, and causing human suffering. If we do not act, it will get much worse. Solving climate change is a test of our ability to identify and understand the most critical environmental issues and act on them. I know it’s up to my generation to take bold climate action because if we continue on this path our future will not be a favorable one. Climate change is the defining threat of our time and more must be done to stop it. It’s time we change that!
As a recent graduate from Arizona State University with a degree in sustainability, I’ve learned that sustainability involves understanding and protecting the interdependent relationships between environment, culture, and economics. Now in my role as a volunteer and organizer, I have used these skills to help educate my community about the climate, while fighting to push climate legislation in Washington.
As climate change continues to fuel more wildfires and extreme weather events, Arizona communities will continue to suffer the consequences. The historic drought unfolding today has depleted Arizona’s water sources so much that two rivers have now landed on our nation’s “top 10 most endangered rivers list” and climate change is expected to exacerbate these drought conditions. This, in turn, fuels worse fire seasons. A new report by the American Lung Association found that 84% of Arizonans live in areas with poor air quality. Pollution from forest fires and our transportation sector will only make things worse, causing more serious health problems for people all over the state. By investing in clean energy and clean transportation, we can effectively protect our air, lungs, and futures.
Yet, fossil fuel companies, which play an outsized role in driving climate change and are prioritizing their own profits, are calling the shots. We need to look at ways to combat this. Thankfully, we have the tools and policies we need right in front of us. Late last year, the US House of Representatives took bold action by passing $550 billion in investments in climate action, clean energy, justice, and jobs. With climate and energy provisions, we can successfully reduce annual US. oil consumption by 180 million barrels per year by 2030– roughly twice the current US imports of Russian oil. We need Congress to get these climate and clean energy investments over the finish line, so that we can break the cycle of our elected leaders failing to take comprehensive and effective action.
The crisis in Ukraine has made it clear that we need to secure our energy independence with clean energy–not more drilling. Most world leaders agree that their nations need to cut off energy dependence on Russia in order to reduce the likelihood of international conflict. This cannot be an opportunity for elected officials and oil companies to take advantage and promote an increase in domestic oil and gas production for their self-serving, profiteering agenda. Instead, we must choose the path that protects our futures by reducing pollution from our energy sector.
The latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IIPCC) also makes clear that our elected leaders must take action now to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. I demand and expect to see environmental responsibility and decisive action from our leaders in Congress. As young people, we will bear the future consequences of older generations’ inaction on climate. I urge Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema to take meaningful action on climate, justice, jobs, and clean energy. It is time to act now. Denying the existence of a problem makes it impossible to address that problem. A new generation of environmental change-makers have taken on this challenge and we are here to ensure that government officials will deliver what we need to have clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, and a healthier future for all.
Amber Reader is a recent graduate from Arizona State University with a BA in Sustainability and minor in Global studies. She is also a fellow with Change the Chamber*Lobby for Climate.