Making Public Lands Part of Climate Solutions
Photo courtesy of Caroline Gleich
Guest post by Caroline Gleich. Caroline is a professional ski mountaineer, adventurer, and climate activist.
This week, I was invited to DC to testify in front of the House Natural Resources Committee on H.R. 5435, the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act. This bill requires us to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from public lands and waters by 2040. Public lands can and should be part of climate solutions, and I hope Congress takes action on this bill.
You can read my testimony below and the full testimony I submitted here and the full testimony Outdoor Alliance submitted to the committee here.
To join in and take action yourself, use the tool below to write a letter to your member of Congress about H.R. 5435. I was lucky enough to tell my representatives in person, but it only takes a few minutes for you to add your voice and ask your elected officials to take action.
My testimony for the House Natural Resources Committee:
When I was 13 years old, I went to rehab. I was severely depressed. I struggled with anxiety. I turned to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. I didn’t think I’d live until I was 30. I’m 34 now.
Today, I can say with confidence that the outdoors saved my life.
Thank you Chairperson Grijalva, Ranking Member Bishop, and Members of the Committee for having me here today. My name is Caroline Gleich. I am a professional ski mountaineer from Park City, UT. I am here to testify in support of H.R. 5435, the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act.
In 2017, I became the first woman to ski a collection of the 90 steepest and most technical ski lines in the Wasatch Mountain Range of Utah called the Chuting Gallery. And last May, I climbed Mt. Everest -- seven weeks after fully tearing my ACL. In my career, I’ve climbed and skied hundreds of mountains all over the world.
I learned to manage my anxiety and depression through skiing and climbing on public lands. I’m sure everyone in this room can relate to my experience of finding healing in nature.
These pursuits give my life purpose and meaning. My livelihood and health depend on access to protected public lands and a stable climate. Right now, both are at risk.
Climate change is not a thing of the future - it’s happening now. In my home in Utah, our historically light, fluffy powder is changing as temperatures warm to the extent that our state’s slogan – the Greatest Snow on Earth – may no longer hold true. The average amount of snow in the West has dropped by 41% since the early 1980s. By 2090, projections indicate Park City will lose all of its snowpack. Nationally, low-snow years have a negative impact on jobs and the economy, costing us more than $1 billion and 17,400 jobs.
We know that burning fossil fuels has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, causing our climate to change. It’s also well established that burning fossil fuels releases pollutants that lead to respiratory disorders, stroke, asthma, missed days at work and school, and premature death.
As a woman of child-bearing age, I’m particularly concerned about the link between exposure to air pollution and miscarriage. A recent study in Salt Lake City, UT, found that raised levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution increased the risk of losing a pregnancy by 16%.
Even more, exposure to air pollution is linked to worsening of psychiatric disorders in children, especially for disorders related to anxiety and depression. Disorders like the ones I struggled with as a kid, too. 48% of Americans believe climate change is already harming our mental health.
Our public lands need to be a part of the solution, not a source of the problem. HR 5435 ensures that our public lands and waters reduce the effects of climate change with clear steps to set binding emissions reductions goals. It gives land managers tools to proactively plan for how they will reach these goals.
Additionally, I support the bill’s provisions to give special funding to fossil fuel-dependent regions to be used for reclamation and restoration of land and water, transition assistance, worker retraining and other purposes.
Transitioning to a clean energy economy doesn’t just create jobs -- it actually improves public health. 80% of voters say that healthcare is vital to their vote. Did we ever stop to consider what’s making us sick in the first place?
Our public lands are a crucial part of our nation’s healthcare plan. They are where we go to restore and revitalize ourselves. They create resilience. Studies show that simply being in nature can lower help lower depression, anxiety, inflammation and reduce fatigue. They shouldn’t be places where we extract fossil fuels that then pollute our air, water and soil. For too long, the costs of fossil fuels have been externalized and the public has had to pay.
We have a tendency as a society to compartmentalize public lands, climate change and health into separate boxes, but the truth is, they are all related. Humans need land to roam, clean air to breathe and safe water to drink. When we become disconnected from nature, we become depressed.
As someone who depends on America’s public lands for my career and health, I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story of finding hope through the outdoors. Supporting H.R. 5435 will ensure our treasured wild places do not contribute to worsening of our climate, and in turn, our health.
As an adult, I learned how to live without being dependent on drugs and alcohol by finding healing in nature and a life outdoors. Just like I learned to combat my addiction, so too can our country learn to thrive without our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels.