Climate

Let’s accelerate climate action in Boulder.

Boulder has climate expertise. The city has pioneered nature-based solutions, like the “Cool Climate” program building pollinator pathways, connected canopies, and absorbent landscapes. We’ve taken ExxonMobil and Suncor to court for misinforming the public about the climate crisis. We’re the first town to enact a long-term funding mechanism dedicated to climate action.

Yet we are off track for reducing emissions to the extent needed. Meanwhile, flood and fire risk maps are having a hard time keeping up with our emerging understanding of reality. The future we’re headed for will require public investment and cooperation through paths that are uncharted.

Throughout my climate career, one thing I’ve seen again and again is that a top constraint to significant climate action tends to be found at the leadership level in organizations. Elected officials and executives are managing a large number of issues, and while they might be receptive to climate initiatives in principle, the reality of making and realizing significant strategic commitments often falls behind other priorities. This phenomenon, from which Boulder is not excluded, explains why we continue to entrench ourselves deeper into the climate crisis.

As a member of City Council I will work to:

• Develop a centralized function dedicated to understanding the emerging vulnerabilities and issues we’re being exposed to, including more dangerous wildfires and floods, more extreme temperatures, and changing sociopolitical dynamics, to establish a more holistic and dynamic plan for managing them.

• Identify obstacles to achieving our incredibly ambitious 2021 Climate Action Plan, by asking our expert staff what political and executive barriers stand in the way of the transformations we need, and then pursue ordinances or other policy changes needed.

• Expand the coalitions we need for a just transition. That involves more fully integrating the different strategies and different paces of urgent deep decarbonization, vulnerability reduction, and shifting power to the affected people and groups who have been left out.

• Establish a process for Council to identify the aspects of climate risk and opportunity in day-to-day work agendas, then rigorously evaluate work plan items to support the most beneficial climate action.