Commentary
Climate of Resistance: Ensure companies cover the costs of orphaned wells
History will judge this generation primarily on its response to climate change, and so far it’s failing. Average temperatures on Earth are rising, and the warming trend is accelerating. The warmest two years on record are 2020 and 2016, and the last seven years are the warmest seven years on record, according to NASA, which […]
Broken federal oil and gas leasing program in dire need of new path forward
When the Biden administration announced a decision to temporarily pause all new oil and gas leasing on federal public lands, they recognized what Coloradans have known for a long time: The oil and gas leasing system is not working in the people’s interest and is in desperate need of an overhaul. We have watched as […]
Climate of Resistance: The public is owed a fair share of natural resources wealth
The three biggest wildfires in Colorado history all occurred last year. The biggest fire in 2020 — that is, the state’s biggest fire ever — was more than 50% bigger than the biggest fire in any other year in the state’s history. The 20 biggest fires in state history have all occurred in the past […]
Democrats should call on Tay Anderson to resign
For once, I (mostly) agree with Jimmy Sengenberger. With multiple ongoing sexual assault investigations, and extensive impact to Denver Public Schools, it’s time for Colorado Democrats to call out their 2020 Rising Star Award winner: School Board Secretary and Member-at-Large Tay Anderson should resign immediately. Republicans — hold the champagne. Those of you gleefully awaiting […]
Climate of Resistance: Enact local fracking bans
Climate change is too great a threat for Coloradans not to take bold and decisive action in response. The landmark Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in 2018 said that to avoid the worst catastrophes of climate change people must limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Last year the planet reached 1.2 […]
Memorial Day memories: Courage of war correspondents
“Memorial Day memories: Courage of war correspondents” originally appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch. I never fought in the Vietnam War. I joined United Press International, a worldwide wire service, in 1975 at the end of that conflict. My heroes were UPI war correspondents — Leon Daniel, Kate Webb and Joseph L. Galloway. Daniel was […]
Our future, health depends on climate action
I just wrapped up my senior year at Colorado State University. It was one defined by many challenges like the COVID-19 crisis, devastating wildfires and adjusting to a new, virtual normal. In the past year and a half, the intersections of our environment and health have been exposed more than ever. In Fort Collins, we […]
Veto of environmental justice bill would be a broken promise
As young leaders in Colorado, we have seen first-hand the devastating effects of climate change. We’ve lived through increasingly brutal wildfires, which destroyed homes, made our air quality the worst in the country last summer, and put both rural and urban communities on the front lines. We need our elected officials to do everything in […]
People were killed by the thousands. But only cash will motivate some Coloradans.
When Gov. Jared Polis announced the state’s latest attempt to convince holdouts to get vaccinated, he placed a giant prop check for a million dollars on a stand and assumed his best carnival barker act. “That’s right! You can win one million dollars, and you may already be entered!” the governor declaimed from a podium. […]
Our health demands action on methane
It’s time for our elected congressional leaders to step up and take meaningful action to improve our health. With just one vote, Colorado’s delegation can either acknowledge that methane emissions are the leading culprits in greenhouse gasses and therefore a profound threat to our public health, or they can turn a blind eye and allow […]
I learned about birth equity during pregnancy. Problems I faced could have been prevented.
Before becoming pregnant I was unfamiliar with the concept of birth equity. According to the National Birth Equity Collaborative, birth equity is “the assurance of the conditions of optimal births for all people.” Unfortunately, birth equity is not a reality in most places — including Colorado. Mothers from certain backgrounds — specifically communities of color […]
Legislative trio brings ’embodied carbon’ bill to the table
You’ve heard of climate change. Have you heard of embodied carbon? If not, you aren’t alone. When it comes to green initiatives, we often turn to topics such as renewable energy or electric vehicles. Yet embodied carbon — the comprehensive carbon footprint of a material — contributes notably to greenhouse gas emissions. Embodied carbon is […]