Local opinion: Reflections on confronting climate change from Babad Do'ag (Frog Mountain -- Mount Lemmon)

The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

I spent three wonderful yet unseasonably hot weeks in March hiking the Arizona Trail over Mt. Lemmon and enjoyed mingling with hikers from all over the world. The month had record heat reaching 100 degrees in Tucson on March 19. So. AZ is facing an existential threat due to climate change. Tucson used to average around 60 days a year with temps above 100 while a new record was set in 2024 with 112 days topping 100. Maybe we will eventually be like Count Dracula, only coming out at night. I do enjoy hiking at night with a full moon.

The impacts of climate change are accelerating and Arizona stands to lose most of its water allotment from the Central Arizona Project in 2027 (projected cuts up to 77%). Increased mining activities in the region will only make matters worse with new water-intensive mines in Patagonia, the Santa Ritas, and Oak Flat (near Superior). Proposed data centers near Tucson and Marana will require huge amounts of water and electricity. Construction of Homeland Security’s shameful border wall produces massive carbon emissions and disrupts wildlife corridors. Meanwhile renewable energy projects have been cancelled in AZ and nationally with the Trump administration’s priority to acquire more fossil fuels by hook or by crook including the use of military force. Wealthy investors such as Bill Gates are promoting nuclear energy to power the data centers and to counter global warming, but personally I would prefer not to risk another Chernobyl type nuclear catastrophe just to have artificial intelligence at my fingertips.

The city of Tucson has been more proactive with programs like the “Tucson Million Trees Initiative”, which plants native tree species for residents at no cost, and other initiatives addressing climate change. Tucson’s free bus service and the electric Sun Link Streetcar needs expansion, especially since Tucson’s streets are so dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians. Red light and stop sign runners take advantage of lax enforcement resulting in frequent tragedies such as the three University of Arizona students who were killed last year at night in a faded unlit crosswalk by a speeding driver on Euclid Ave. Pedestrian overpasses which are common in Mexico are desperately needed throughout the city. One initiative the city should reverse is the placement of riprap boulders under freeway underpasses to prevent those most vulnerable to the heat, the homeless population, from seeking respite in the shade.