Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and a statewide transition to clean energy are integral to preserving Colorado’s way of life and central to the mission of the Colorado Energy Office. Transitioning to clean energy protects the health of our communities and natural environment, provides access to lower-cost clean energy resources, increases investment and economic growth opportunities, and expands clean energy jobs.
A statewide transition to clean energy underpins Colorado’s commitment to climate action. The warming climate is already impacting communities across the state. Colorado is very vulnerable to these impacts—increased risks of catastrophic wildfires, greater likelihood of droughts, increased flood risks, loss of alpine ecosystems and negative impacts to the state's ski industry. Water, energy, public health, transportation, agriculture and tourism—climate challenges will affect everyone and require collaborative solutions involving state and local governments, industry across sectors and communities.
To address Colorado’s two largest sources of emissions—the power sector and transportation—the state is working to transition to 100% clean electricity generation by 2040 and rapidly expand vehicle electrification. In May 2019, Governor Polis unveiled the administration’s Roadmap to 100% Renewable Energy by 2040 and Bold Climate Action. The roadmap details directions, policies and actions Colorado is taking to ensure a clean energy future.
The Colorado General Assembly's 2019 and 2021 legislative sessions were monumental for climate and clean energy policy. For a brief overview of the clean buildings, climate action, environmental justice, transportation electrification, renewable energy, energy efficiency and just transition legislation that passed during the 2021 session - go to the 2021 Legislative Snapshot. For a brief overview of energy efficiency, electric vehicles and climate/utility policy legislation that passed during the 2019 session - go to the 2019 Legislative Session Snapshot.
In January 2021, Colorado released its Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap. The GHG Roadmap represents the most action-oriented, ambitious and substantive planning process Colorado has ever undertaken on climate leadership, pollution reduction and a clean energy transition. It lays out an achievable pathway to meet the state’s science-based climate targets of 26% by 2025, 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050 from 2005 levels that were part of House Bill 19-1261 Climate Action Plan to Reduce Pollution. An executive summary of the GHG Roadmap (also included in the full report) is available in English and in Spanish.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is responsible for tracking greenhouse gas pollution in Colorado.
Resources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration - Energy-Related CO2 Emission Data Tables
- Future Extreme Heat in the Denver Metro Area - June 2017. Prepared for the City and County of Denver's Department of Environmental Health by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, this report details how climate change may lead to many more hotter days, with much higher temperatures, depending of future levels of heat-trapping emissions.
- Future Climate Extremes in Boulder County and Future Climate Extremes in Larimer County - September 2016. These Rocky Mountain Climate Organization reports present detailed information on how the latest climate models indicate that future heat-trapping emissions could drive major increases in extreme heat and extreme storms in these populous counties in Colorado.
- U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy City Energy Profiles