Let’s keep Colorado’s climate goals on track

Hardly anyone is really monitoring the State of Colorado’s reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change; however, everyone should keep an eye on the performance of the Air Quality Control Commission and the Air Pollution Control Division to protect our air quality. Now is our chance.

The State of Colorado is required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 26% by 2025, 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050 from 2005 levels (House

Bill 19-1261). There are numerous emission sectors that create these greenhouse gas emissions, such as transportation (the number one polluter); electrical generation; residential, commercial and industrial; fossil fuels; and agriculture.

The Colorado Air Pollution Control Division has now developed a Colorado Greenhouse Gas Metric Dashboard for the citizens of Colorado to monitor greenhouse gas emissions over time.

The dashboard is updated quarterly. That allows us the ability to see if the greenhouse gas legislative reduction requirements are being met by our state agencies. The dashboard contains an introduction summary, ghg emission graph and sector metrics, such as natural gas production, gasoline sales, sales of electric vehicles, etc. This is a resource we should be monitoring.

If you have questions or comments on the dashboard, I suggest you contact the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division’s Andrew Bare (andrew.bare@state. co.us). Let us make sure that Colorado will meet these greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements.

— Art Hirsch, Boulder