This summer is on track to be ANOTHER record-breaking wildfire season, Canada experienced a 120° heat wave, the floods in Germany were shocking, the 20 year drought on the Western Slope continues despite some good rain in July, and the 1922 Colorado River Compact will likely be triggered next year, meaning severe mandatory water cutbacks.
We didn’t need the new IPCC report last week to tell us that climate instability is getting worse. It’s no longer off in the distance; the climate change future is here now.
However, we are still inside the window to act until about 2030, and climate impacts are not off/on, they’re on a sliding scale. So, the answer to “why bother if it’s already happening” is, “it can keep getting worse.” For example, 20 years ago you could set your watch by the monsoon schedule, now it is unpredictable, and if climate instability gets worse, every monsoon could look like last year’s.
Yet, in the face of this we can be proud of our State for passing several aggressive climate bills that will help us adapt, and eventually eliminate CO2 emissions.
HB21-1208 establishes grants for wildfire and drought mitigation projects starting in 2023.
HB21-1290 increases Just Transition funding for retraining and relocating people out of the fossil fuel industry.
HB21-1162 ends the use of single-use plastic bags and styrofoam in Colorado in 2024. It also allows local governments to further reduce use of single-use plastics.
HB21-1266 requires electricity production and the gas industry reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 48% by 2025, and 60% by 2030. It hardens enforcement, eliminates pollution loopholes, and directs penalties to be invested into impacted communities.
SB21-072 creates a Colorado Electric Transmission Authority that better connects Colorado’s transmission lines to national infrastructure. This will allow independent electricity producers like Ouray Hydro access to the national market, and providers like SMPA more freedom to choose where to purchase our electricity. It prevents the problem Texas had this winter when they could not access the national electricity market, and breaks the grip of large companies like Tri-State and Xcel to enable a free-market approach.
The climate crisis is an overwhelming problem with too many problems to tackle as an individual, and that feels overwhelming. Advise that helps me is to consider where your passions and skills overlap, then look through that Venn diagram for a place to engage.
Jake Niece
Ouray County Commissioner
This letter was also printed as a letter to the editor in the Ouray County Plaindealer published 8/18/2021 here: https://www.ouraynews.com/opinion-letters/theres-still-time-act-climate