I am writing to support Gov. Hickenlooper and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in producing a strong statewide implementation plan under the federal Clean Power Plan.
I attended the recent public meeting at Fort Lewis College, where the CDPHE took comments from the public about what to include within a state plan. I was pleased to see a substantial turnout of diverse groups (e.g., agency personnel, local businesses, students, professors, health care professionals) and overwhelming support for the plan.
As an ecological researcher studying the effects of climate change on Colorado’s natural landscapes, I am well aware of the negative effects that we can expect with delayed (or weak) action on reducing carbon emissions.
With colleagues at CU-Boulder, I have been studying impacts of shifting precipitation patterns due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions coupled with changes in land use and other sources of air pollution on Front Range ecosystems and the ecological services they provide.
We have found that climate change is likely contributing to increased invasion of exotic pests, decreased biodiversity and, indirectly, to large-scale dust storms not previously experienced in the region.
Other scientists have shown that climate change also means less snow, more extreme storms and weather, and hotter, more destructive fires for the western U.S.
All in all, if we continue with a business-as-usual approach to climate change, Colorado is going to change dramatically.
Momentum has been building across the country to tackle the issue of climate change. With President Obama’s recent actions on the Clean Power Plan and the Keystone XL pipeline, we have the opportunity to take meaningful steps to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and transition to cleaner sources of energy.
I urge the CDPHE to create a robust, meaningful and comprehensive plan for Colorado that goes above and beyond the mandates of the plan. Colorado is well-positioned to do so, and we have a lot to gain by acting quickly and boldly.
Amy Concilio
Durango
