The initiative between counties in the US that aims to tackle climate change is making a new development this week. The 4 Corners Carbon Coalition (4CCC), established by Boulder County, Colorado and the City of Flagstaff, Arizona, welcomed on October 5th Salt Lake City, Utah and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The collaboration between the five regions will invest in carbon dioxide removal projects to spur regional innovation and fight climate change. The coalition also spreads the idea between communities that carbon dioxide removal could actually be offered by counties as a public service the same way waste removal is now.
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“We’re so excited to round out the ‘Four Corners’ vision with two cities that recognize the importance of local leadership… This collaboration gives local communities the opportunity to put our fingerprints on this emerging and necessary space of carbon dioxide removal (CDR); to hold ourselves and our partners to the highest standards; to show what community-based CDR might look like and the potential benefits of supporting vetted projects in our backyards,” said Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy.
The coalition was first launched by Boulder County and Flagstaff at the beginning of the year. They invested seed funding to support regional carbon removal projects and business development. The regions also announced they will issue a request for proposals on which carbon removal projects to be chosen in order to give communities a say about it.
Now, the 4 Corners Carbon Coalition is expanding and taking action to develop and test real-world projects to address the climate crisis.
“The 4 Corners Carbon Coalition is a living example of how local governments are working together to tackle the climate crisis,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
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She also added the city has been pioneering approaches over the years to fast-tracking renewable energy development like building cleaner buildings and investing in healthy transportation. According to the Mayor, Salt Lake City needs to do more to reduce local emissions.
“This innovative partnership will support and bring awareness to the many ways that we can pull carbon out of the air. I’m excited to see what we can do!,” says Mrs Mendenhall.
The regions also organize a webinar on October 19th that will provide details on the upcoming proposal request and application process. People can contact the coalition on its website for more information.
