The world’s biggest problem is also the world’s biggest opportunity. And that is how we transition from burning fossil fuels (the problem) to renewable energy (the opportunity). The benefits of making this transition are huge and multi-faceted. Oil, coal and gas are pollutants: they pollute the air and water, either directly or indirectly. Broken pipelines, mountaintop removal for coal mining, acid drainage into streams, injecting chemicals into the ground to release gas and oil, smog in large cities, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, oil spills in the ocean; the list goes on and on. None of us likes to breathe the exhaust from cars and trucks. Thousands of people die or get sick around the world each year from fossil fuels.

Renewable energy, by contrast, results in cleaner air and water. We still have to mine the minerals to develop renewable energy but the ecological damage is less than one-tenth the damage from extracting fossil fuels from the ground. And once wind turbines and solar panels are developed they last for years with minimal maintenance. In contrast, energy from fossil fuels requires constant inputs of coal, oil or gas; and fossil fuel prices continue to rise, while renewable energy costs continue to fall.

The challenge is how fast we can make this transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. We are currently seeing more powerful hurricanes and tornadoes, a hotter world, more lightning, more forest and rangeland fires, more extremes in drought over large parts of the world and more localized flooding from major rain events. Virtually everything about the weather has become more unstable and more unpredictable, and this has occurred with only a temperature increase of just over 1 degree Celsius. You can only imagine what our weather will look like in 15 to 20 years when we will likely approach 2 degrees Celsius hotter. Worldwide we are currently pumping over 160 million tons per day of pollutants — mainly carbon dioxide from fossil fuels — into the atmosphere.

Many people still deny or dismiss the realities of a changing climate for a variety of reasons. Some view the problem as so big that what we do as individuals will not make a difference. Some blame other countries like Russia that are doing next to nothing — so why should we do anything? Some just watch Fox News and simply believe climate change is not real and was invented by Al Gore, a Democrat. So if you’re a good conservative Republican, it has to be a lie. Politics is more important to many people than reality. And nobody wants to feel guilty for driving their car or heating their home with fossil fuels, so we just pretend it’s not important or real, rather than switching to an electric vehicle and heating your home with an electric heat pump when you have the opportunity to do so.

It is a shame that Idaho’s state agencies are not free to inform the public of the impacts of climate change on people and our natural resources. Idaho Fish and Game has to know that increasing water temperatures are going to be extremely detrimental to coldwater fish (trout, salmon and steelhead). Anadromous fish are facing a triple whammy, with the ocean becoming more acidic, water temperatures steadily increasing and the Snake River Dams — all of which increase the death rate of salmon and steelhead. The Department of Environmental Quality, which monitors air quality, has to know that hotter and drier summers with more smoke from fires are an increasing threat to people’s health. The Department of Water Resources has to know that hotter and drier summers are going to reduce water supplies for irrigators. Yet these agencies are totally silent — afraid to tell the public because they would be punished by the governor and the Legislature if they even mention climate change. In some ways, Idaho’s government is not that much different than a communist country — speak the truth and you will be punished.

Most of us don’t talk about climate change. We view it as controversial and political. If you’re a conservative Republican you might still be in denial, and if you’re a Democrat you only feel comfortable talking about it with other Democrats. And that has to change. Politicians, at least most of them, are not leaders. They will only take action if they believe most of the voters are concerned about climate change and will vote for politicians willing to transition to renewable energy. Each of us can make a difference, however small. Every ton of pollution that we don’t put into the atmosphere will help in the long run.

Eventually, climate change will get bad enough that even Idaho’s conservative Republicans will have to admit to reality. Let’s hope that comes about sooner rather than later. We can have a healthy and productive economy in Idaho with our wind, solar, hydro and geothermal energy potential, and we can have cleaner air and water. We just need to make it happen.