A 600-mile bike ride through the western United States brought Aspenite Jacquelyn Francis face-to-face with the impacts of human-caused climate change.
Francis is the founder and executive director of the Global Warming Mitigation Project. She wanted to challenge herself to get to a conference in Sun Valley without driving or flying, so she combined a train ride with a long-distance e-bike; Francis and her husband biked to Glenwood Springs, caught a train to Salt Lake City, then pedaled through triple-digit temperatures to reach their destination.
“I think people need actual evidence in their own lives, and in their own bodies, to kind of really believe in something,” Francis said. “And as this is happening, I hope it is resonating with people, and that they are really understanding the implications of where we are going.”
With this feat of endurance, Francis aimed to raise both awareness and money for climate action while “walking the walk” — or, rather, “biking the bike” — herself. Research indicates heat waves like the one she endured are more likely due to human caused climate change, and Francis believes personal experience can help her communicate the urgency of the situation.
“I think people need to really start thinking about not just this heat wave, but about how year after year after year after decade, … the weather patterns are going to be shifting, and they're going to be intensified,” Francis said.
After completing the same bike-and-train journey in reverse, Francis got back to Aspen earlier this week.
Extreme heat continues to impact much of the western U.S., but Francis said her journey wasn’t all about sweat and suffering. At the conference in Sun Valley, she announced the winners of this year’s Keeling Curve Prize, which recognizes climate solutions like solar energy and carbon-capture technology.
“I think getting out there in our country and talking to people about what we’re experiencing when it comes to climate change and climate solutions really personalizes it,” Francis said. “And (it) really gets others to realize that we are on this blue marble together, and we can find innovative ways to make it a better place.”