The Southwest is already hot and dry, but add in climate change and this arid region is getting even more parched. Drought and rising temperatures mean we must find ways to adapt, live smarter and cleaner, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ensure livable futures for all of us on the Colorado Plateau.
From scaling up renewable energy sources like wind and solar, to closing abandoned oil and gas wells that leak methane, we're working to curb Colorado Plateau greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible in ways that respect the plateau's Indigenous communities.
Here on the Colorado Plateau you don’t have to look far to find them.
Most electricity in our region comes from burning fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.
The cars, trucks, and buses we all use, plus commercial freight pump out emissions.
A giant methane cloud from oil and gas wells hovers above the Four Corners region.
In 2018, counties across the region produced 106.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, about twice the emissions of New York City. See how the numbers break down in our greenhouse gas emissions inventory ›
We support state and federal incentives for renewable energy generation, like wind and solar. As we scale up clean power, we need to figure out how to recycle the components so that we don't solely rely on mining more raw materials.
From establishing emissions controls to closing abandoned oil and gas wells, we are working to clean up the oil and gas industry in the region. A law passed in 2021 provides significant federal funding for plugging abandoned wells across the country, including the Colorado Plateau.
We are comitted to climate action that is respectful to frontline communities who bear the greatest impact of climate change and mining. See what we're doing to support a just transition ›
Here on the Colorado Plateau, climate change is intensifying our extremes – our dry is drier, our hot hotter, our monsoon storms are more intense and wildfires more severe. By reducing greenhouse gas emissions where we live, work, and play, we can do our part in the global effort against climate change.
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