Resilience is a coping strategy, not a virtue. Celebrating resilience without interrogating the challenges, problems, and structural issues folks are routinely forced to confront runs the risk of idealizing the capacity to suffer.”
We aim to be a central resource for Climate Resilience and Sustainability in Southern Utah.
The Climate Resilience and Sustainability resource network is critically necessary to bring people together to create solutions and support in the most significant challenge that we face. Solutions depend on opportunities for the community to connect, but there is no centralized resource that addresses climate change specific to our region.
With Utah Tech’s mission as a polytechnic university and a community partner, and aligned with the Human<->Tech interface, this center will engage the scientific, sociological, and economic areas to help understand the regional impacts of climate change while implementing more significant actions.
The region surrounding Utah Tech and southern Utah is at the heart of the climate change impact zone. This region is experiencing some of the greatest increase in temperatures and decrease in precipitation. In much of our region, average temperatures have already increased by 2° Celsius (4° Fahrenheit) over the last century, which is double the average rate of global temperature rise.
Sustainability is a Campus initiative.
The Climate Resilience and Sustainability network on campus is critically necessary to bring people together to create solutions and support in the most significant challenge that we face.
Sustainability and addressing Climate Change is a community initiative and a regional need.
To amplify the consequences of inaction, our region is also among the most vulnerable demographically and economically, including limited opportunities to diversify local economies that depend on highly climate-vulnerable industries (tourism, ranching/farming, and growth). Our region is not prepared to handle the severe outcome of prolonged heatwaves and a lack of resilience to the impacts.
Our Center is excited to partner with community organizations, individuals, UT campus faculty and staff, and students!
If you are interested in research, outreach, education, or events related to addressing climate change and adopting sustainable practices, please contact us at climate@utahtech.edu
Email: rico.delsesto@utahtech.edu
Office: SET 425
Email: Christina.Pondell@utahtech.edu
Phone: 435-879-4482
Office: SNOW 225
Email: Erin.OBrien@utahtech.edu
Phone: (435) 652-7761
Office: SET 520
