2019-09-16
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Grassroots Candidate Challenges Curtis on Climate
Russ Fugal announces candidacy for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District.
DRAPER, UT 16th September 2019 —
“The problem is that we are burning fossil carbons as fuel and the global economy we’ve built does not permit us to stop,” wrote Russ Fugal, who is scheduled to speak at the September 20th Global Climate Strike rally at the Utah State Capitol on Friday, in an essay published on Medium. “There is too much money to be made in further investments, and existing investments (sunk costs) are already a problem. Existing infrastructure must be retired early, investors must forego opportunities and must see existing investments pay out less than expected, the solutions are not ‘economical’, at least not if we want to limit global heating to 1.5°C (and we do want to limit global heating to 1.5°C).”
The scale and urgency of the climate crisis is what has driven Fugal to challenge Representative John Curtis for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District. “They knew that global heating was a threat 30 years ago, when the average U.S. Senator today was my age,” Fugal says. “We don’t have another 30 years to get this right.” He then points to the opening paragraph of Nathanial Rich’s N.Y. Times Magazine article in August 2018, calling it a crucial touchstone in his turn to activism, “The world has warmed more than one degree Celsius since the Industrial Revolution. The Paris climate agreement — the nonbinding, unenforceable and already unheeded treaty signed on Earth Day in 2016 — hoped to restrict warming to two degrees. The odds of succeeding, according to a recent study based on current emissions trends, are one in 20.”
Fugal’s Utah ancestry extends back four generations in Emery and Carbon Counties and five generations in Utah County. His grandfather Ted was born in Cleveland, Utah during the Great Depression. His grandfather Grant grew up in Pleasant Grove, Utah and joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War. His mother graduated from Utah Technical College (now Utah Valley University) and his father graduated from Brigham Young University. While he was elected as a delegate to the Utah Republican Party convention in 2008, Fugal says he has been politically independent since 2003.
“The largest predictors today of whether you accept climate science or are skeptical is Republican party affiliation,” says Fugal, “followed far behind by age. If you’ve accepted that it’s real, listen to the science. It is serious, it’s scary, and bold action is needed now. Our house is on fire.” He’s taking that message to the rally on Friday, where he hopes to help galvanize support for a Green New Deal.
On Friday, people of all ages will strike and gather at the Salt Lake City and County Building from 12-1 pm, marching to the capital from 1–2 pm, rallying from 2–4 pm. Information for the local strike can be found at https://fridaysforfutureut.weebly.com/. There are currently over 2,500 events planned in over 117 countries.
Committee to Elect Russel Fugal www.HumanitysRace.com
Draper, UT — press@fugal2020.com
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