City of Boulder : Boulder on the Global Stage

Cities have long been at the forefront of sustainability, but to many civic leaders, 2017 marked a watershed year for local climate action.

As the federal government signaled their intent to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, cities across the country, including Boulder, jumped to declare, 'We Are Still In.' Cities, now more than ever, recognize the powerful role they play in curbing global greenhouse gas emissions and slowing climate change.

With so many cities moving to cut emissions and bolster resilience to new threats caused by climate change, are there enough qualified climate professionals to meet the demand? In December, the city's regional sustainability coordinator, Jonathan Koehn, traveled to London to help develop an accreditation program that aims to increase the global talent base of climate planning specialists.

The City Climate Planner Certificate Program, initiated by the World Bank, ensures that local government employees have the necessary skills to support local climate action planning. These skills include developing greenhouse gas emissions inventories, and climate action and adaptation planning. By improving literacy and awareness of these tools, the program will allow more cities to accelerate their climate actions and prepare for floods, fires, droughts and other hazards that cities will experience due to a warmer climate.

'Boulder is often seen as an international leader when it comes to climate-related efforts, as we have been working in this space for quite some time,' said Koehn. 'Identifying the risks and opportunities associated with a changing climate is much bigger than any one city. By building this new certification program, more and more cities can focus their efforts on the most impactful, science-based efforts that support both their own jurisdiction, and the global community as well.'

Boulder was selected to participate in the workshop as a subject matter expert. Fellow attendees to the workshop included representatives from Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland. The curriculum and exam will help standardize the skills necessary to help cities face climate change, an issue that is already acutely impacting local communities.

Learn more about the program at: http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climatechange/brief/city-climate-planner-certificate-program.

More information on the city's climate efforts is available at: https://bouldercolorado.gov/climate/climate-action-in-boulder-a-community-investment-2.