Contact: UYES: utyouthenvironmentalsolutions@gmail.com, (801) 497-6121
As House Speaker Mike Schultz announces a “pause” on water-related legislation, Utah youth stage a mock Olympic opening ceremony and banner drop, urging state leaders to protect and restore the Great Salt Lake by 2034 or face catastrophic consequences.
Salt Lake City, Utah — Even as a drying Great Salt Lake threatens ecological, economic, and public health crises across Utah, state leaders are plowing forward with plans to host the 2034 Winter Olympic Games and refusing to consider legislation that could prevent environmental catastrophe.
Today, Utah youth and supporters gathered at the Olympic Cauldron Park to stage a mock Olympic opening ceremony to foreshadow the consequences of inaction, including a 2034 Olympics plagued by haze, toxic dust events, low snowpack levels, devastated communities, and a dry Great Salt Lake.
The demonstration mimicked the 2002 Opening Ceremony, which was held in Salt Lake City. As an announcer called out the name of each city to host the Winter Olympics since 2002, demonstrators dressed in winter athletic gear marched across the park waving that city’s flag. When the announcer shouted “Salt Lake City,” demonstrators donned gas masks and, instead of a Salt Lake City flag, revealed a giant banner depicting the Utah State Capitol with a looming dust cloud behind it. The banner, which read “Salt Lake City 2034,” served as a poignant reminder of the consequences of inaction and the toxic future that will emerge if officials continue to disregard the health of Great Salt Lake and Utah residents.
After the “Opening Ceremony,” youth speakers took the stage to demand that state leaders protect and restore the Great Salt Lake to a minimum elevation of 4,198 feet above sea level before 2034.
“House speaker Mike Shultz recently said that the legislature needs to “take a break” from water policy, effectively putting a “pause” on new water legislation during the 2025 session,” said Liam Decker, age 17. “We are here today to say that this is not an approach we can afford to take.”
State leaders have failed to prioritize the Great Salt Lake’s decline as a serious existential threat. The winter Olympics need snowpack and clean air, which both rely on a healthy Great Salt Lake. Unless legislators take serious action now, the 2034 Olympic games will be a disastrous failure.
“To the Utah legislature, I say please–if only to protect yourself from embarrassment when your inaction is thrown in your face in 2034–do your jobs. Protect the Great Salt Lake,” said Maddie Stolz, age 15.
In addition to its critical role in generating snowfall through the lake effect, the Great Salt Lake contains toxins from runoff and nearby industries in its lakebed. These toxins, such as arsenic and mercury, pose significant risks to public health. As the lake’s water levels decline, toxic dust is blown across the valley. This not only causes respiratory issues, heart conditions, and other serious illnesses in Utah residents, but also jeopardizes the safety of athletes and visitors during the Olympics.
“The lake has become so dry that the water rarely surrounds Antelope Island, stripping it of its right to that name,” said Ezra Hernandez, age 15. “If the lake dries up it will release toxic dust that is so dangerous, it could be lethal.”
To the haunting backdrop of chants like “Medals can’t be won, with metals in our lungs” and “Light the torch and feed the flames, save the lake – stop playing games,” youth came together to make their priorities clear. They demanded immediate and decisive action to ensure justice for all communities in the Salt Lake Valley and highlighted that lip service and empty promises from our representatives are an insult.
“This isn’t just about water–this is about our communities, our livelihoods, our futures.” said Kitty Chamberlain, age 16. “We don’t have to accept this as our fate. We have to hold our legislators accountable.”
Additional Quotes:
“Great Salt Lake is an issue that the state should be investing their resources into, not just for the Olympics, but for the health of the entire state” –Autumn Featherstone, age 18
“The destruction of the Great Salt Lake is not just an environmental struggle. This is a womans’ struggle, a workers’ struggle, an immigrants’ struggle, the peoples’ struggle. With struggle there is resistance, and the people will win” -Alan Gutierrez, age 25
“Investing billions into an event that may not even be profitable vs protecting citizen’s health? The state needs to get their priorities straight” -Adalayde Scott, age 16
“Great Salt Lake is what our city is named after. It’s a key part of our identity, and has been longer than the host of the Olympics. We need to focus our resources where they matter” -Sophia Smith, age 17
“This is the clearest indication from our state legislators that they don’t care about my future, about our future. They don’t care that youth are fearing if they even have a place in this state because of their inaction.” – Monika Cinbis, age 17
“I worry about the implications of this on not just the health of the environment, but people. My family, my friends. How can I watch them breathe in dirtier air each year while the state fails to act?” Sophia Cheng, age 17
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Utah Youth Environmental Solutions (UYES) is a youth-led organization that empowers young people in Utah to mobilize around climate and environmental issues through legislation, education and action. Our mission is to connect students to environmental advocacy by cultivating reciprocal relationships between Utah’s youth, environmental organizations, and community leaders.
Utah Youth Environmental Solutions 