Colorado joins 30 other states for action on global warming

Environment Colorado

DENVER—Today, Colorado becomes one of 31 charter member states of The Climate Registry, representing over 70% of the U.S. population, marking the largest national effort to take action on climate change.

“We applaud the Ritter Administration for joining the climate registry,” said Will Coyne, Program Director of Environment Colorado. “For us to stop global warming, we have to know what’s creating the pollution, and then we can create an action plan to cut that pollution. Knowing is half the battle.”

The list of founding member states and tribes thus far includes the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the Campo Kumeyaay Nation. Two Canadian provinces, British Columbia and Manitoba, have also committed to participate.

Participants range from states that have been moving forward with aggressive mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction programs, to those that are taking initial steps to address the challenge. Both Republican and Democratic governors are well represented and the states are geographically diverse.

The newly formed climate registry is a tool to measure, track, verify and publicly report GHG emissions accurately, transparently and consistently across borders and industry sectors. This is a critical first step in developing robust programs to reduce GHG emissions. The Registry will support voluntary, market-based and regulatory GHG emissions reporting programs.

Today’s announcement signals the launch of an unprecedented cooperative effort in North

America. By working together, Registry members are laying the foundation for climate actions that will benefit generations to come.

For more information, quotes, FAQ’s, and a graphical map of the states visit www.theclimateregistry.org