In the absence of national action by the U.S. government to combat global warming, is it time for the city of Boulder to join other towns across the country in taking local action?

In the first few months of his presidency, George W. Bush made headlines by refusing to ratify the Kyoto protocol—a multilateral effort to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and slow the rate of global warming. Many Europeans and environmentally-conscious Americans were disappointed and angry at our nation’s stubbornness. After all, the Kyoto protocol seemed to be a modest but important step towards reducing our destructive impact on the earth, as well as an acknowledgement that action needs to be taken.

But at a much more local level—and several years before Mr. Bush’s stated opposition to the Kyoto protocol—numerous U.S. municipalities had already made commitments to reduce their impacts on global climate change. Their action plans come from the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign (CCPC), a program of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (www.iclei.org).

The campaign requires that municipalities conduct an energy and emissions inventory of residential, commercial, and governmental sources; establish emissions targets for greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane; obtain approval for a local action plan; implement policies and measures (for example, the use of low-emission government vehicles, solar energy in buildings, and public education); and monitor and verify results. Currently, more than 500 municipalities throughout the world (and more than 100 in the United States!) have taken the challenge. Cities as large as New York and Los Angeles have stepped up to the plate, and progressive communities such as Berkeley CA, Austin TX, and Ithaca NY have also hopped on board. Even Denver has taken the plunge. One name that is conspicuously absent from the list is Boulder. But the time may be right to change that.

The current Boulder City Council is made up of many environmentally-aware members, and doing something about global warming through the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign could be just the right move for our local leaders. The CCPC is a local initiative, but its implications are global. Ultimately, it may be the triumph of the small that stimulates action at the state and national levels, and through the CCPC we can take action to slow global warming even when our leaders at the national level are refusing to do so. EcoCycle encourages local environmental groups to propose that the Boulder City Council join the CCPC and rise to the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Details on how Boulder could participate may be found at http://www.iclei.org/us/members.html.