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by Abigail Ahlert, CSTPR Science Writing Intern<\/em><\/p>\n While Americans come to terms with divisive national politics, there\u2019s still a lot of hope<\/a> in city-scale climate action. This December, the Boulder City Council is expected to formally adopt the Boulder Climate Commitment (BCC), and leveraging local knowledge and engagement from the University of Colorado will be an important factor in its success.<\/p>\n The main goal of the climate plan is to reduce Boulder\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions to at least 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. The BCC energy objective is to ensure that 100% of Boulder\u2019s energy comes from renewable sources by 2030, with 50% or more of that created locally.<\/p>\n Through conservation programs that focus on outdoor irrigation and recycling efforts, the BCC aims to reduce emissions from waste management by 2% and reduce water usage by almost 20%. The BCC also plans for the planting of 1,500 trees per year by 2050 in order to protect Boulder\u2019s urban ecosystem.<\/p>\n The University of Colorado Boulder (CU) is taking advantage of multiple opportunities to coordinate with the BCC, including the implementation of energy efficient facility upgrades. For example, the athletic facility completed in April 2016 has 2,604 solar panels which generate about 1,200 MWh of power per year. CU is also continuing its support of public transit resources and student \u201cEnergy Green Teams<\/a>\u201d that outreach to the University community about sustainability.<\/p>\n In addition to these projects, the City of Boulder hopes to utilize CU\u2019s academic resources for climate planning. During the week of October 10, Brett KenCairn, Senior Environmental Planner for the City of Boulder, and Dr. Sarah Thomas met with CU faculty and students to discuss the BCC.<\/p>\n Students and faculty agree that their engagement in the BCC is productive, considering the important role that the University plays in Boulder\u2019s culture. \u201cCU is a large part of the Boulder community and as academics we like to solve problems. It\u2019s a natural fit to bring in the tremendous talent from all parts of campus to the issue of climate change and starting with our local government makes a huge amount of good sense,\u201d says Dr. Rebecca Jo Safran, Associate Professor in CU\u2019s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.<\/p>\n However, the BCC also brings to light some of Boulder\u2019s most pressing problems. A leading concern among members of the University is the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions from commuters and Boulder\u2019s relentlessly climbing housing costs. In 2012, 17% of Boulder\u2019s transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions came from non-resident employees. While this is still less than what was emitted by Boulder residents, there is worry that emissions from non-residents will continue to climb. Dr. Shelly Miller, Professor of Mechanical Engineering in CU\u2019s Environmental Engineering Program, says, \u201cI think it will be difficult to do anything meaningful with housing and transportation. People cannot afford to live in Boulder and so commute and people like their cars and don\u2019t want to be inconvenienced by increasing bus and bike ridership initiatives\u2026just look at what happened when they changed the bike lanes on Folsom earlier this year,\u201d referring to the recent backlash to bike lane expansion designed by Boulder\u2019s Living Lab<\/a>.<\/p>\n The issues of housing and transportation also raise crucial questions of justice. \u201cIn terms of challenges, I think the questions are how to do this in an equitable way, one that doesn\u2019t further marginalize and push out the non-wealthy. This is not an impossibility\u2014as some might argue\u2014but rather requires us to rethink what implicit or explicit biases might be smuggled into ideas of \u2018our values\u2019, \u2018our way of life\u2019, \u2018our quality of life\u2019 in Boulder,\u201d says Dr. Emily Yeh, Chair of CU\u2019s Geography Department. The City of Boulder recently introduced the Just Transition Collaborative<\/a> to address these issues.<\/p>\n Despite concerns, there is hope among faculty and students that Boulder can become a success story and example of climate action. The sentiment seems to be that Boulder has the resources to limit its greenhouse gas emissions, and thus the obligation to do so. Michael Rush, a graduate research assistant in CU\u2019s Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Department,\u00a0says, \u201cBoulder must be an example of climate action for other cities\u2026This country has a proud tradition of \u2018laboratories of democracy\u2019 wherein individual states or communities test new and innovative policies before they are enacted on the national level. Boulder can show the world that it is possible to reverse antiquated housing laws, eliminate unsustainable transit habits, and update energy policy to lay the foundation for long-term ecological sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n Rush is particularly excited about the Boulder Energy Challenge<\/a>\u2014grant money that the City of Boulder has offered to fund sustainability projects. These grants were last offered in 2014, and an application period for a new round of grants will open at the end of November. The City also hopes to host an \u201cEnergy Futures\u201d summit in 2017.<\/p>\n The October BCC meetings made it clear that Boulder is a small city uniquely equipped to limit its greenhouse gas emissions, but that it will also face new and complex challenges in the process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Abigail Ahlert, CSTPR Science Writing Intern While Americans come to terms with divisive national politics, there\u2019s still a lot of hope in city-scale climate action. This December, the Boulder City Council is expected to formally adopt the Boulder Climate … Continue reading