Thanks to Sen. (Cory) Gardner, Sen. (Michael) Bennet, Congressman (Scott) Tipton and Gov. (John) Hickenlooper for meeting with Durango’s business community recently. I was pleased to see my political leaders join hands to hear about the issues facing Durango businesses during this stressful time.
Wildfire has always been a concern in Colorado, but changes in weather patterns are increasing those risks. The way I see it, there are three levels to public policy on climate-related problems: 1. eliminate the cause, 2. develop adaptations for changing weather patterns and 3. support communities through catastrophic weather events.
On Friday in Durango, all four leaders showed they will work together to address the economic impacts of the 416 Fire. All four leaders support policies that help us adapt to a changing climate. All four leaders care deeply about their constituents, the economy of our state, and preserving Colorado’s unparalleled natural resources. They don’t all see the problem of climate change the same way, and they don’t yet agree on the same set of solutions, but that’s OK. Diversity is critical to a healthy ecosystem, a healthy social system and a healthy political system.
Our changing climate is the mother of all systems problems, affecting everyone and almost everything on the planet. The solution needs to be broadly acceptable because every single American has a stake in this. The challenge of our changing climate should be a bridge issue, not a wedge issue. Gardner, Bennet, Tipton and Hickenlooper certainly acted that way when they visited Durango.
Kathy Fackler
Durango
