As climate change becomes an increasing threat to the world, Denver is winning high marks in how it addresses the problem. The city recently earned an “A” from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a nonprofit that gathers climate change data.

The CDP has collected data on more than 600 cities. Of these, only 7% of reporting cities were awarded an “A”. The grade indicates how effectively cities are “managing, measuring and tackling greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate risks,” according to a government press release.

“We believe in the science, and climate change is one of the larger threats to our communities,” noted Denver’s Mayor Michael Hancock in the release. “This is fundamentally an equity issue and the time to act on climate change is now…Through local actions, we have committed to reducing carbon emissions 80% by 2050, moving to 100% renewable electricity community-wide by 2030, electrifying our fleet and working with Bloomberg philanthropies to reduce emissions for transportation across the city.”

Denver is also participating in the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement, the Mayors’ National Climate Action Agenda, the Global Covenant of Mayors, and the We Are Still In pledge.

Such agreements are important, notes the press release, as city action provides role modeling for national action and builds confidence in national targets. Notes the release: “Strong subnational data also helps national governments to better understand local climate action and facilitates national planning.”

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash