Where is Colorado’s 2017 Climate Action Plan?

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This week a letter was sent to Governor Hickenlooper calling on him to “urgently release a 2017 Climate Action Plan with specific, measurable goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the state level and enhance adaptive capacity in Colorado communities.”

This letter was written in a collaboration between Colorado State University (CSU) and University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) and signed by faculty from 15 Colorado higher education institutions with 277 signatories.  The institutions represented are:

  1. University of Colorado Boulder
  2. Colorado State University Fort Collins
  3. University of Colorado Denver
  4. School of Mines
  5. University of Denver (DU)
  6. University of Colorado Colorado Springs
  7. Fort Lewis
  8. Colorado College
  9. Pikes Peak Community College
  10. Western State
  11. University of Northern Colorado (UNC)
  12. Metro State
  13. Colorado Mesa
  14. Colorado State University Pueblo
  15. Adams State
  • We decided to craft this letter to call for Governor Hickenlooper to release a 2017 Climate Action Plan that moves beyond the 2015 climate action plan (that includes measurable goals that are subject to deadlines).
  • This letter is in harmony with members of the state legislature who have been trying to put pressure on him to release a new plan in 2017 (articulated in HB17-1366 that was introduced in the 2017 legislative session by Representatives Jeni Arndt and Faith Winter. It passed the House but was postponed in the Senate. http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb17-1366).
  • The committee involved here are aware of this historical background from roughly 2008-2015 and the ongoing context (we have no intention of besmirching the work of those who have contributed to these artifacts from 2008-2015).
  • We desire more aggressive action on climate change at the Colorado State level, led by our Governor and we posit that more can be done now to address this critical issue here in Colorado.
  • We are aware the Governor Hickenlooper’s time in office is coming to a close. That is why we explicitly state “We also urge you to make sure that this important issue is prioritized in the upcoming gubernatorial campaign.”

     

    CSU and CU-Boulder Organizing Committee:

    James Meiss
    University of Colorado Boulder Professor, Applied Mathematics

    Samuel Flaxman
    University of Colorado Boulder
    Associate Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

    Kristopher Karakas
    University of Colorado Boulder
    Assistant Professor, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

    Seth Hornstein
    University of Colorado Boulder
    Senior Instructor, Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences

    Michele Betsill
    Colorado State University
    Professor and Chair, Political Science

    Julia A. Klein
    Colorado State University
    Associate Professor, Ecosystem Science & Sustainability

    Shelly L. Miller
    University of Colorado Boulder
    Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Engineering

    Diana H. Wall
    Colorado State University
    University Distinguished Professor and Director, School of Global Environmental Sustainability

    Max Boykoff
    University of Colorado Boulder
    Associate Professor, Director of Center for Science and Technology Policy Research