Utah Youth Environmental Solutions
Media Advisory
Date: October 23, 2024
Contact: UYES – utyouthenvironmentalsolutions@gmail.com, (801) 497-6121
Utah Youth Will Stage “Apocolympic” Opening Ceremony, Foreshadowing the Effects of Great Salt Lake’s Collapse on the 2034 Olympics
As House Speaker Mike Schultz announces a “pause” on water-related legislation, Utah youth will 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.
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. On October 26 at 1 p.m., Utah youth will gather at the Olympic Cauldron Park to stage a mock Olympic opening ceremony to demonstrate the consequences of inaction, including a 2034 Olympics plagued by haze, toxic dust events, inadequate snowpack, devastated communities, and a dry Great Salt Lake.
What: The “Apocolympic” Opening Ceremony.
When: October 26, 2024 at 1 p.m. The demonstration will last about 1 hour.
Where: University of Utah Olympic Cauldron Park: 451 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112.
Why: The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, a vital habitat for millions of migratory birds, and a major contributor to Utah’s economy. Primarily due to excessive upstream water diversions, the Great Salt Lake has shrunk to half of its historic size and is predicted to disappear within a decade. Saving the Great Salt Lake requires urgent action, namely legislation to grant an estimated one million acre-feet of additional water to the lake per year.
The death of the Great Salt Lake will have catastrophic effects on everyone in Utah, but state leaders have failed to prioritize the Lake’s decline as a serious existential threat. Last week, House Speaker Mike Schultz even announced that the legislature is planning to “take a break” from passing new water-related legislation this session. Despite the pending environmental crisis, state leaders are continuing with plans to host the 2034 Winter Olympic Games. A successful Olympics will require sufficient snowpack and clean air, which both rely on a healthy Great Salt Lake. Unless legislators take serious action now, we can expect the 2034 Olympics to be a disastrous failure.
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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 