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Climate Change Policy
(Climate change) is an existential threat to our security, our health, our economy, our public lands and eco-systems and our very way of life.– Gov. Jared Polis, in testimony before the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, Aug. 2019
2022-2023 Information from AEL Tracker
DISTRIBUTION OF BILLS ACROSS POLICY CATEGORIES DISTRIBUTION OF BILLS ACROSS STATUSES
Global
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to keep global warming below 2 °C, emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) must be halved by 2050 (compared with 1990 levels). Developed countries will need to reduce more – between 80 % and 95 % by 2050; advanced developing countries with large emissions (e.g. China, India and Brazil) will have to limit their emission growth.
United States
- Reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 50-52% below 2005 levels in 2030
- Reaching 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035
- Achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050
- Delivering 40% of the benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities
Colorado
In 2019, the Colorado General Assembly passed an aggressive greenhouse gas reduction bill: H.B. 19-1261.4 The legislation set a goal to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions from all sources by 26 percent by 2025, 50 percent by 2030, and 90 percent by 2050, compared to a 2005 baseline. The legislation makes it clear that dramatically reducing GHGs is required to keep global average temperatures from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, “which scientists agree would provide a more stable and hospitable climate for current and future generations and mitigate the risk of catastrophic climate impacts in Colorado.”1
1Climate Action Plan to Reduce Pollution, Colorado H.B. 19-1261, 72nd General Assembly, 2019 sess. (May 30, 2019), available at http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1261.
San Miguel County Policy