Op-ed: The spotlight must remain on climate solutions
This piece originally appeared as an op-ed in the Santa Fe New Mexican on October 31, 2020.
By HECHO National Advisory Board Member, and former San Miguel County Commissioner, Rock Ulibarri — 10/31/2020 12:00 AM MDT
Currently, all of New Mexico’s residents are in drought — 2,060,000 people. Over 46 percent of the state is in extreme drought, with more than 30 percent in severe drought (drought.gov/drought/states/new-mexico). We know a decrease in rainfall and snow has increasing implications for our water supply. The unreliable Rio Grande has put farmers at risk.
It has been quite a year, one many wish would just go away. Between a global pandemic hitting our state and country hard, and the chaos of the looming election, climate conversations have faded into the background. The election will be decided, and a COVID-19 vaccine will help, but climate change is still with us and we ignore it at our own peril.
As a proud New Mexican, my connection and cultural ties to this land is what moves me to protect it — yet some of the very lands I grew up enjoying contribute to greenhouse gas pollution. In 2011, a U.S. Geological Survey report revealed U.S. public lands contribute nearly a quarter of our total emissions. Energy companies already have massive control of public lands. If our public lands were a country, they would rank fifth globally among the highest emitters. Of the 27 million acres under lease to oil and gas companies, more than half are sitting idle. Why give them more? Imposing a moratorium on all fossil fuel leasing on public lands — and protecting special places from drilling and mining — is a start.
The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy outlines tactics to combat climate change in America, including solutions involving our public lands and waters, investing in disproportionately exposed communities, preserving our forests, and reducing climate disaster risks.
We must confront our new reality head-on. Wildfires rage, consuming (in 2020) 7.7 million acres. Some 44,000 wildfires are logged across the nation, threatening homes, livelihoods and communities, and releasing carbon into the atmosphere. The Medio Fire near Santa Fe and the Colorado 2 Fire in the San Mateo mountains are recent examples (newmexico.gov/New_Mexico_Wildfire_Alerts.aspx).
While confronting these facts may feel distressing, we must not despair and lose sight of the fact that there are strategies we may employ to prevent further damage to our ailing globe. I remain hopeful that through the implementation of the Congressional Action Plan, we can restore and protect forests, reduce wildfire risk, and support community wildfire planning for a healthy forest ecosystem, developing fire-resilient communities.
As studies detail the disproportionate impacts Black, Indigenous and other people of color experience from climate change, we recognize that for too long, there has been a legacy of policy choices rooted in racism. The Congressional Action Plan addresses this by highlighting environmental justice as a cornerstone of climate and environmental policy.
To confront climate change, we must all be united — ensuring our nation’s leaders are hearing from every impacted community. This is why the rollbacks on the National Environmental Policy Act, our bedrock law, have felt so personal. Everyone, and especially communities that have historically been at the receiving end of climate injustice, should be able to weigh in and share their environmental concerns regarding proposed projects.
I support policy that will set a precedent, ensuring we leave a more just and environmentally sound future for the generations that follow. The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy would help make that possible. I encourage our community to contact their congressional leaders and ask them to support it as well.
Rock Ulibarri is a former San Miguel County commissioner.