As the Southwest suffers a historic heat wave – and the extreme electricity demand that comes with it, communities across the country are calling for action on climate so these events don’t get worse. The deadly heat wave has been accompanied by drought, wildfire and blackouts, as residents scramble to keep cool and send electricity demand soaring. And climate change is only making it worse. As President Obama has said, “Climate change is no longer just a threat. It’s already a reality.”
Coloradans have witnessed the unpleasant experience of high heat. One of the reasons for such high heat is climate change. Global warming alters climate both globally and locally. And carbon emissions are a main factor of global warming. As carbon dioxide traps large amount of heat from infrared energy and re-emits it to the atmosphere, additional heat will have significant impact on our delicate climate system.
It’s the hottest reason why we need the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which sets the first national limits on carbon pollution from power plants and encourages investments in safer, cleaner renewable energy.
Climate deniers have been doing their best to block these lifesaving standards, but fortunately for all of us, their best isn’t good enough. In fact, the Clean Power Plan is expected to save families over $200 on their electricity bills per year by 2030.
Particularly, Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper should continue to move forward with the Clean Power Plan without delay. I’d like to see Colorado focus exclusively on energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy to meet the goals of this policy.
Tim Tian
Durango
