To: Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-2)
Rep. Stewart: Promote Climate Solutions, Not Climate Denial
As chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, it is your duty to understand climate science and develop policies to secure our country against the urgent threat of climate change.
Why is this important?
My name is Ryan Pleune. I’m a former high school science teacher from Salt Lake City, Utah. My wife is a sixth generation Utahn, and she and I have worked together to capture Utah's pioneering spirit in addressing climate change. My congressman, Rep. Chris Stewart, was recently appointed to be the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment in the U.S. House of Representatives. We desperately need Congress to pass legislation on climate change, and any scientific legislation regarding climate would be heard by this Subcommittee. Yet its chairman, my representative, denies that human-caused climate change has sound science supporting it, despite the fact that every major scientific institution in the world agrees that evidence for human-induced global warming is unequivocal. Here’s what Rep. Stewart said recently:
“I’m not as convinced as a lot of people that man-made climate change is the threat they think it is.” When pressed by a reporter, he added “before we make any long-lasting policy decisions that could negatively affect our economy, we need to be certain that the science behind our decisions is sound.”
As a science teacher, I understand that climate science is sound: climate change is not a future problem for our younger generations to solve later. It’s here, it’s happening, and it is already costing Utah and the United States. In 2012, Utah’s wildfire season was one of the worst on record, costing a total of nearly $50 million, with about $14 million paid by Utah taxpayers. If nothing is done, climate-related disasters like these are projected to grow more common and more intense, costing our residents and taxpayers even more. That's why I'm asking Congressman Stewart to not only accept the science, but to propose legislation that will connect the dots between extreme weather disasters and climate change--and that will help mitigate the effects of both.
Please add your name to the petition to help deliver this message.
Thanks,
Ryan Pleune
Forecast the Facts Member
P.S. We'll be delivering the petitions at Congressman Stewart's Davis County Town Hall on Tuesday, April 2, 2013. We'll be meeting in front of the North Salt Lake City Hall (10 East Center Street North Salt Lake City, UT) at 4:30 p.m.. All are encouraged to join!
“I’m not as convinced as a lot of people that man-made climate change is the threat they think it is.” When pressed by a reporter, he added “before we make any long-lasting policy decisions that could negatively affect our economy, we need to be certain that the science behind our decisions is sound.”
As a science teacher, I understand that climate science is sound: climate change is not a future problem for our younger generations to solve later. It’s here, it’s happening, and it is already costing Utah and the United States. In 2012, Utah’s wildfire season was one of the worst on record, costing a total of nearly $50 million, with about $14 million paid by Utah taxpayers. If nothing is done, climate-related disasters like these are projected to grow more common and more intense, costing our residents and taxpayers even more. That's why I'm asking Congressman Stewart to not only accept the science, but to propose legislation that will connect the dots between extreme weather disasters and climate change--and that will help mitigate the effects of both.
Please add your name to the petition to help deliver this message.
Thanks,
Ryan Pleune
Forecast the Facts Member
P.S. We'll be delivering the petitions at Congressman Stewart's Davis County Town Hall on Tuesday, April 2, 2013. We'll be meeting in front of the North Salt Lake City Hall (10 East Center Street North Salt Lake City, UT) at 4:30 p.m.. All are encouraged to join!