Jump To

Resetting our Climate Ambition

The undeniable reality is that climate change is not just happening — but also accelerating and intensifying.

All ten of the hottest years on record have occurred since 2005, and one does not have to look far to see these catastrophic impacts play out in Boulder in real time — whether it was the 2013 floods or the 2020 Calwood Fire.

Recognizing the urgency of the threat at hand, the City of Boulder declared a climate emergency in July 2019, triggering the development of several targets to guide city action.

The threat of climate change extends beyond Boulder’s property lines and into the systemic — and so, too, must the city’s climate work.

Solar panels sit in a field of green grass at the Boulder fire training center

Lex Telischek

Learn more about the city's approach to climate action

Society is approaching a critical juncture in confronting the climate crisis, and the Boulder community has an important role to play. Building on the community’s history of environmental action and on the lessons learned in more than 20 years of climate work, now is the moment to ensure that the city’s climate action efforts amplify the global effort.

Read the Climate Action Plan Summary (PDF)
Visit the Climate Initiatives Department website

The Climate Targets Behind the Plan

Climate targets

Elements of the New Plan

Act beyond boundaries

Collaborate with partners, other cities and government agencies to achieve impact at larger scale, on topics within the city's sphere of influence

Achieve regional and national climate targets

  • Reduce emissions 70% by 2030 against a 2018 baseline
  • Become a net-zero city by 2035
  • Become a carbon-positive city by 2040

Center Equity

Allocate necessary time and resources to address the impacts of climate change in an equitable manner

Build Resilience

Strengthen community capacity to survive and thrive

Count all the emissions

Account for the full scope of emissions in our community, including emissions associated with the creation and purchase of goods and food

Expand our focus

Address new focus areas for climate action including land use and financial/economic systems

Work with community

Bring the community together with renewed urgency to address the climate emergency and achieve clarity on the required next steps

Community Audio Collage

The city invites community members to imagine a more climate-resilient Boulder – a city that’s taken bold action so that human and natural communities stand strong in the face of climate change.

Add your voice to our community’s shared story of hope.

  • Call 303-818-4678 and leave a voicemail sharing your vision for a climate-resilient Boulder.

This project aims to inspire hope, creativity and courage in our community, and to capture the ongoing climate resilience conversation in Boulder. Your recording may be edited for use in our audio collage. Recordings will be accepted throughout the year.

Listen to the first collage, Sounds of Hope. Read the text version.

Climate Action: We're in this together

Important Links