Letter: Heat records are falling, but clean energy surges forward

Two newsworthy items caught my attention recently. First the bad news: January 2024 was the eighth straight month of record-setting heat. This was the warmest January on record for both land and sea. This continued trend has many negative consequences: higher risk of disasters, soaring insurance costs and increasing food insecurity in parts of the world, to name just a few.

The good news is for the first time 40% of U.S. energy is free of polluting emissions, paving the way to a cleaner energy future. The article outlines how solar and natural gas have grown their market share, while the once dominant coal sector has declined, pushing the mix above 40% for clean energy. Momentum is building towards clean energy. Additionally, the investments in clean energy are expected to drive a 40% reduction in toxic air and carbon pollution over the next 10 years, accelerating the shift towards cleaner, quieter, faster energy.

Though I am happy to see progress, I worry that our political leaders will confront choices to stall or reverse this momentum, perhaps as a bargaining chip to avoid a government shutdown. I implore our House Reps. Celeste Maloy, John Curtis, Blake Moore, and Burgess Owens to support reasonable efforts to grow our clean energy sector.

We are at a crossroad: Let’s surge towards safe and healthy days ahead for our communities.

David Kam, Salt Lake City

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