By Carly Ferro
It is easy to become enamored with Utah’s vast desert landscape, hidden slots and secret alcoves, opportunities to climb in the Red Rocks, and of course, the greatest snow on earth. But it is difficult to consider the weight of the anti-public lands agenda—one that hinders the protection of these landscapes at the cost of communities, local economies, health, and our climate.
Utah made worldwide news when President Trump took egregious action to illegally shrink two national monuments in our state—significantly slashing their size and depriving these special places of permanent protection. The designation of Grand Staircase–Escalante and the fight by five sovereign Tribes to save Bears Ears has been monumental for conservation and cultural understanding of the societal impact of protecting public lands. These wild places offer people from across the globe awe-inspiring experiences and provide immense environmental benefits like habitat, cultural preservation and climate mitigation. Utah’s public lands—though referenced as hidden gems—are now on the frontlines of the fight to save our climate.
Protecting Bears Ears is a big, bold vision that has brought together several Tribes, conservationists, and elected officials to make it happen. At one point, securing a designation for this important place seemed unachievable, but through the concentrated effort of Tribal leaders and support from partners, the goal was ultimately successful. If this effort employed a shortsighted vision and unwillingness to tackle complicated challenges, we may have lost this place to dirty fuel development forever.
As I commit to continue to champion protections for Utah’s environment and communities, I recognize that we have an existential challenge we must also take on together. In Utah and beyond, we need to make a concentrated effort to protect, restore, and improve lands to ensure resilient ecosystems can withstand the stresses of the deepening climate crisis.. In doing so, we must prioritize equity for local communities—using local knowledge, culture, and history to achieve this goal.
Scientists say if we have any chance of fighting the climate crisis, we must protect 30 percent of lands by 2030. So when Trump rolled back protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monuments—totaling over two million acres of lands—that was precisely the opposite action we needed our leadership to take, based on the best available science.This rollback will put Utah’s culturals history, present value, and natural richness in harm’s way, and the lands’ capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide carbon sinks will plummet.
In Utah, it is critical we take action to reduce our impact. Right now, our state emits 19.3 metric tons of carbon dioxide per capita, compared with the national average of 16 tons. Utah's emissions are higher than Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, and California. Since Utah has 22.9 million acres of public lands, 3.4 million acres of State Trust Lands, and other areas ripe for conservation, protecting those spaces from dirty fuel development can be a path to the positive solutions needed for climate change.
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, photo by: Bill Glenn.
Like the work to protect Bears Ears, the effort to protect 30 percent of lands by 2030 goes beyond the short-sighted view the Trump administration has taken—selling off our lands and waters for drilling and unreliable, short-term profits. What 30 percent by ’30 looks like is people working across the aisle, cultures, and backgrounds to advocate for a common goal for our planet and humanity. In Utah, the Sierra Club is joining youth leaders, Tribal partners and an unlikely coalition of conservationists to launch these land and water conservation efforts. If we are successful and if these efforts begin to take shape nationwide, we have a chance to prevent a global crisis.
What Trump fails to recognize is that the work diverse coalitions are leading to protect people, lands, and water goes beyond the next few years. It is not rooted in an ideology that benefits a single part of our life—be it the economy, public health, access, wildlife, waters, pollution control and beyond; It is centered on the intersection of our physical environments, our social and economic constructs, and our overall well-being as a species. Public and protected lands—and all they safeguard—must be a climate solution. Saving these places will preserve history and culture for Native American Nations, their immeasurable importance to communities, and it will fight the climate crisis. Together, we can save 30 percent of lands by 2030.