🌱The outdoor industry flexes its political muscle at winter trade show

This week at Denver's Outdoor Retailer trade show, [climate change]( was again highlighted in an annual poll of voters. The report, which compiled results from one Democratic and one Republican polling agency, found 62 percent of Westerners view the phenomenon as a "very serious" or "extremely serious" problem. While political parties were divided on climate change, the number of registered Republicans who saw it as a serious problem jumped to 45 percent, up from 37 percent three years ago. The announcement of this year's results demonstrates two major trends. One, the recreation economy is starting to more seriously flex its political muscle on climate change and environmental issues. We saw this last week in the report from the Center for Western Priorities that showed that public lands were highly influential in the midterm elections in the West. Two, the State of the Rockies publication corroborates a survey from Yale released earlier this year that 62 percent of Americans understand that climate change is mostly human-caused. Both lead us to ask: Is 2019 the year the world shifts to embracing science and acting on it? The Washington Post published a multimedia feature detailing the state of forests, fires, floods and fisheries in a changing climate. The piece incorporates photos, video, audio and the written word to show how people across the United States are seeing their lives change in front of them. [Read More +](  [Trump rollbacks for fossil fuel industries carry steep cost]( The Associated Press analyzed 11 major environmental rules targeted for repeal or rollback under Trump and identified serious social costs. [Read More +](  [BP to disclose its climate change policies]( BP agreed to a request by activist investors for the multinational corporation to disclose how its spending and strategies align with the Paris climate agreement.[Read More +](  [The next financial crisis could be caused by climate change]( The bankruptcy declaring by Pacific Generation & Electric raises the question of whether infrastructure and insurance in the United States are adequately prepared for the potential disasters associated with climate change. [Read more+](  [UN report says world needs to focus on existing environmental legislation]( The report concludes that all countries have at least one environmental law or regulation in place, yet very few are in compliance with those laws. [Read More +](  [TBT: 'Your stoke won’t save us']( After the snowsports world announced an alliance to combat climate change this week at Outdoor Retailer in Denver (see below), let's take a look back on Ethan Linck's essay on why enthusiasm for outdoor recreation won't be enough to save the places people love.[Read More +]( What else we're reading this week - EPA [highlights decrease]( in greenhouse gas emissions and deregulation in annual review via The Hill - Wyoming could [take over parks]( during a shutdown via AP - 8 state attorneys general throw [support behind]( California-Chevron climate change lawsuit via The Hill - Climate change, public lands take [center stage]( at Denver's Outdoor Retailer trade show via The Gazette  [Quote of the day:]( Climate change "simply can’t be ignored anymore. We’ve been given enough warning signs to take corrective action, and it’s about time you get proactive instead of waiting for these cataclysmic events to take place." - Ed Delgado, a former executive with Freddie Mac, a major home mortgage loan company. Tip of the day: If you're in the market for a new phone case, opt for a wood or biodegradable one. Companies like Pela Case use sustainable materials and donate a percentage of their profits to conservation.  [Subscribe now!]( A free weekly environment briefing that comes to you. No algorithms, clickbait or ads – just what's worth reading. I've got your back Hi, my name is Liz Forster. I am an environment reporter and have a particular interest in public land management, natural disasters, climate change and ecology, among other topics. I received a degree in Environmental Policy from Colorado College and have worked for a Colorado newspaper since. Subscribe and each week, I'll comb through newspaper's headlines and send you the latest, most pertinent environment news. Questions, comments, suggestions? Email me at liz.forster@gazette.com or follow me on Twitter at @lizmforster. You're receiving this email because you signed up for Environment Weekly emails [Click here to see a web copy of this email]( Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Colorado Springs Gazette, 30 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, USA