Denver-based groups are getting a $320 million boost to fight climate change - Denverite
Denver-based groups are getting a $320 million boost to fight climate change
More than $320 million will go toward helping two Denver-based groups combat climate change.
Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette announced that the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the Colorado Energy Office both received awards from the EPA Climate Pollution Grant Implementation Program.
“This substantial funding is a major advancement in the bold action we must take to combat the climate crisis effectively,” DeGette said in a statement. ”With this funding, Denver can take a significant step towards reducing pollution, combating climate change, and securing a healthier environment for future generations."
DRCOG will get $199 million to prioritize building decarbonization, while the Colorado Energy Office will get $129 million for the Colorado decarbonization accelerator. The CGO will distribute its funds as grants to help local communities with emissions reduction programs.
Earlier this year, Reps. Diana DeGette and Brittany Pettersen wrote to the EPA in support of the DRCOG proposal, writing the plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions through developing and implementing “zero emissions codes and building performance standards.”
The new funding comes from the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction grant program, which was authorized through the Inflation Reduction Act. It provides grants to local governments, tribes and territories to come up with “ambition plans” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”