By Anna Alejo
DENVER—Environmental
groups gathered in front of the Capitol Sunday to urge state leaders to
set specific goals to reduce global warming pollution.
Some farmers and ski industry leaders were rallying behind the cause on the 38th Annual Earth Day as well.
Gov. Bill Ritter said he's hearing this call for a plan from a growing number of people in Colorado tourism and agriculture.
The newly formed Colorado Climate Action Network said Colorado needs to
join other states in developing a strategic plan to address global
warming.
The coalition of conservation groups wants Colorado to set official
targets to reduce global warming pollution to below 1990 levels by 2020
and an additional 50 percent by 2050. They say our economy and quality
of life depend on meeting these goals.
"This is what scientists are telling us we have to do if we're going to
avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change," Dan Grossman from
Environmental Defense said. "Those goals are specific and they are not
set by people who are picking numbers out of the air, but by scientists
who have studied this issue exhaustively."
Former Vice President Al Gore's Oscar winning documentary, "An
Inconvenient Truth," brought attention to the issue of climate change
and now a growing number of states are adopting goals.
"There are twelve states across the country that have opted into a
clean car standard," Matt Baker from Environment Colorado said.
"Arizona has just decided that they're going to do it and New Mexico
has decided that they're going to do it."
Automakers respond to the state changes by sending more fuel efficient cars to markets like California.
Just last Monday, Ritter announced the appointment of the state's first ever Climate Change Adviser, Heidi Vangenderen.
"Her first mission will be to create a Colorado climate change action
plan," Ritter said at the time of Vangenderen's appointment.
The coalition hopes by the next Earth Day, Colorado will have a goal
for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and a roadmap for getting there.
"Now we have a challenge to beat all challenges ahead of us," Elise
Jones if the Colorado Environmental Coalition said. "And that's global
warming."
Last week, Ritter announced plans to reduce energy consumption in state
facilities by twenty percent by 2012 and also plans to reduce paper and
water consumption.
