On Wednesday, Jan. 15 at noon, Southern Utah University’s Leavitt Center for Politics & Public Service held their first event of the semester, a Pizza and Politics discussion about climate change.
The Leavitt Center’s student workers began their slideshow with the definition and causes of climate change. They discussed the connection between climate change and global warming, with statistics to support the information.
These presenters explained that global surface temperatures have been steadily rising since1980, citing climate.gov.
After this, they posed their first question: “What do you think is the biggest contributor to climate change?”
Students gave varied answers, ranging from methane gas to volcanoes, as they shared their theories and opinions.
Then, the focus shifted to the political aspects of climate change. Presenters asked the audience, “Why do you think political affiliation and age might influence a person’s perspective on climate change?”
Numerous opinions were shared on this topic: “Age influences a persons perspective because we have more years to be on the earth. Older people might not care as much because of this,” said one student.
Another student shared “Political influence has to do with oil companies being subsidized by the government. Those with money in energy don’t have the inclination to switch to cleaner energy sources.”
The topic then changed to policies outside of the U.S, policies inside the U.S. and how the two differ. The discussion addressed the Paris agreement and the American recovery and reinvestment act.
Throughout the presentation, students shared resources the government could use to address climate change. Others expressed that climate change is a natural process, and is not easily fixed.
Pizza and Politics is a weekly event held by the Michael O. Leavitt Center. To see when the next event is being held, check out SUU’s event page or the Leavitt Center’s webpage.
Author: Tallon Taylor
Photographer: Tallon Taylor
Editor: Anna Mower
news@suunews.net
