After climate change-related weather patterns ignited the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history, Boulder County decided to take action by combating global climate change on a local scale. The 2021 Marshall Fire made it clear that developing local carbon removal and resilience solutions is critical to the health, safety, and economic wellbeing of county residents.
Boulder County began with their Climate Innovation Fund in recognition of the fact that local government resources need to be mobilized in order to advance climate adaptation strategies for increased resilience. Boulder County sought to model how local governments can incorporate carbon removal projects into their sustainability plans, and are now encouraging other local governments to do the same.
In a joint report with Carbon Direct and the 4 Corners Carbon Coalition, Boulder County has documented the best practices for place-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects. The playbook offers local governments a four-part framework for implementing high-quality and equitable CDR projects that take into account both community resources and priorities.
