Moving Forward-Beyond Paris

“Climate change reversal really needs to begin at the family level and work all the way up. Everybody needs to be concerned about it.”

Many people are concerned about federal inaction when it comes to climate change, particularly since Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate accord.

Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D), who has represented Colorado’s 1st congressional district for 20 years and serves on the Environment and Economy committee (a sub-committee of the Energy and Commerce committee), says that despite the gloomy news when it comes to federal policy on climate change, there is bi-partisan movement on the issue.

“I was dismayed like everyone when President Trump pulled out of the Paris climate accord, but I do believe there is growing bi-partisan support for taking some kind of action in Congress, and we have a climate caucus that’s a bi-partisan caucus, where we have a number of Republicans who have joined. The question will be, can we put together comprehensive legislation that’s going to really matter.”

Most of the Republicans who have joined the climate caucus are ones from coastal areas which are already seeing the impacts of climate change, like Ileana Ros Lehtinen from Florida and Darrell Issa from California. Mike Coffman is the only Republican Congressperson from Colorado who is a member of the climate caucus.

DeGette says that in the absence of federal action on climate change, states like Colorado are stepping up into a role of combating climate change at the local governmental level. That will be the topic under discussion on August 21st at an event at the Alliance Center in Denver that will be moderated by DeGette. “What I’ve come to realize over the years is that people shouldn’t just look to the federal government as the savior for climate change. Climate change reversal really needs to begin at the family level and work all the way up. Everybody needs to be concerned about it.”

Panelists include Angie Fyfe — Executive Director, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA, and Pete Maysmith — Executive Director, Conservation Colorado.