THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
Thursday, February 25, 2021
Vol. 130, No. 35
COLLEGIAN.COM
Fort Collins carbon report released, emissions down 7% By Noelle Mason @noellemaso
In January, the City of Fort Collins released its annual Community Carbon Inventory report for 2019 as part of its broader Climate Action Plan. The Climate Action Plan outlines several goals to reduce carbon emissions in the City; the first benchmark of which is to reduce carbon emissions by 20% of the 2005 level by 2020. The recent 2019 report shows a 7% decrease in carbon emissions citywide and a 28% decrease per person. According to Adelle McDaniel, interim senior sustainability specialist, current projections estimate a 17% decrease in citywide carbon emissions for the 2020 Community Carbon Inventory report, working toward the goal of becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2050. The City’s 2015 Climate Action Framework outlines the effects of unchecked climate change that Fort Collins citizens are already starting to feel the brunt of. Severe heat waves, droughts and intense wildfires, such as the Cameron Peak fire, are all to be expected as the climate warms as a result of unmitigated carbon emissions. McDaniel said Fort Collins follows a global standard protocol for accounting for and reporting citywide greenhouse gas. The City collects data on usage of electricity, natural gas, waste, ground transportation, water, industrial processes and product use emissions and uses a conversion factor to understand how much emissions come from each source, McDaniel said. According to the new report, the majority of the City’s carbon emissions come from electricity usage.
‘Shattering Perspectives’ about Africa through ceramics Exhibit by CSU faculty and students shows the continent’s cultural diversity SEE SHATTERING PERSPECTIVES BY MAX HOGAN ON PAGE 11 >>
PHOTO BY PRATYOOSH KASHYAP THE COLLEGIAN
see EMISSIONS on page 4 >>