Published in the Denver Post on June 8, 2016 

Re: “Initiative 78’s hidden purpose”, June 2 Post editorial. 

The Post’s editorial board states that the developers of Initiative 78 were either “reckless” or “devious” to bring forward a ballot measure that would put much of Colorado off-limits to new oil and gas wells and the fracking attendant to the extraction process. The editorial board appears not to understand the urgency of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5° C or less. That key goal is part of the Paris Climate Agreement, which has to date been signed by the U.S. and 176 other countries. 

True recklessness is displayed by the corporations and individuals who would attempt to continue extracting oil and gas indefinitely with no regard for the future of the planet or its inhabitants. We need to get serious – now – about making the transition to a clean, carbon-free energy future. 

Kevin Cross, Fort Collins The writer is a spokesperson for the Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate.