In June 2020, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released a report titled "Solving the Climate Crisis." In the Preface, the Committee acknowledged the reeling economic situation of our nation where one in four people are unemployed, the public health disaster where 120,000 Americans have perished due to coronorvirus, and the racial an inequitable systemic problems that have become more mainstream due to the killing of George Floyd by police.
But they released the report anyway, because the climate crisis continues silently in the background of news headlines about the economy, public health and race. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 are the highest ever recorded. May was the hottest ever recorded in 141 years of record keeping. And now our most vulnerable populations are facing an ever increasing panel of threats compounded by economic and social disasters.
Focusing on these issues in silos is counter intuitive and over-simplifies very complex and interconnected issues. The report creates a framework for congressional action. Over the last 17 months since House Resolution 6 created the Select Committee and it's mission, members have met with hundreds of stakeholders and scientists, solicited written input, and held hearings to develop the framework outlined in the report.
Breckenridge's representative, Congressman Joe Neguse, is a member of the Select Committee and has already introduced a series of legislation titled "Colorado Climate Way." This package has a number of Colorado-focused policy proposals that accomplish several priorities including investment in clean energy and transportation, protecting public lands and outdoor recreation, wildfire mitigation and forest health, strengthening climate science, investing in agriculture as a climate solution, and more.