Published in the Fort Collins Coloradoan on March 22, 2017 

The Fort Collins Climate Action Plan (CAP) is arguably the most forward-thinking policy ever adopted by our City Council. Its goals — a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared to 2005 levels, an 80 percent reduction by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050 — are among the most ambitious in the world. The CAP will save Fort Collins residents billions of dollars by mid-century by dramatically lowering what we spend on fossil fuels, will improve our health by cleaning up our air, and will provide an example to other communities of how to preserve a livable climate for ourselves and future generations. 

The Fort Collins Sustainability Group has been advocating for progressively stronger CAPs — and for implementing programs needed to achieve CAP goals — since 2005. In late February, we sent a questionnaire out to all candidates running for City Council this spring. The questionnaire asks candidates about their thoughts on investing in the CAP, what reservations they may have about fully implementing the CAP, what role they think the city should play in advocating for climate action at the regional and state level, and more. We are pleased to report that nine of 10 candidates have responded, and not a single respondent denies the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to minimize climate change. 

We encourage your readers to visit our website — http://fcsg.fccan.org — and download the questionnaire with candidate responses. We also encourage everyone to vote in the upcoming municipal elections by returning their ballots by April 4! 

Doug Henderson, Fort Collins Sustainability Group