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Banner image: Rep.听Joe Neguse,听D-Colo., speaks to the audience, alongside moderators Matt Burgess and Renae Marshall. (Credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU Boulder)

More than 150 people gathered at CU Boulder earlier this month for a lively, moderated discussion between U.S. Reps. Joe Neguse, Democrat of Colorado and John Curtis, Republican of Utah (who joined virtually), on how finding common ground in politics could help fight the climate crisis.听

The April 14 panel, hosted by the (CIRES) and the , explored lawmakers' motivations for working on climate change issues, where they see opportunities for building consensus, and their thoughts on reducing political polarization around the issue.听

Matt Burgess, assistant professor of environmental studies and economics, and former environmental studies听undergraduate honors student Renae Marshall moderated the discussion.听

鈥淚f we take seriously the idea of society-wide changes in energy and infrastructure sustained over decades, the only way that's going to happen is if we work together,鈥� said Burgess, to kick-off the discussion. 鈥淎 divided society and government simply won't be up to the challenge.鈥澨�

Chancellor Phil DiStefano also highlighted the upcoming Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit to be held on campus Dec. 1-4 and welcomed three CU Regents in attendance: Callie Rennison, Lesley Smith, and Ilana Spiegel.

Here are several key takeaways from the event.听

Constituents want climate action听

There is a broad and growing bipartisan constituency for addressing climate change, according to Burgess.

, Burgess and Marshall note that two-thirds of Americans think the federal government is not doing enough to help reduce effects of climate change and protect water and air quality. And in other Western countries, like the United Kingdom, climate mitigation has become a winning issue for conservative and progressive political parties alike, they note.听

鈥淭here is still potential to make bipartisan progress on some of these issues, particularly as it relates to climate adaptation and mitigation,鈥� said Neguse.听

Bipartisanship passes climate bills

Burgess and Marshall recently co-authored a paper that found .

It analyzed 418 state-government enacted bills and 450 failed bills aimed at reducing emissions from 2015 to 2020. Their results showed that even though two-thirds of climate-related bills passed in Democrat-controlled legislatures during this time, one-third passed in Republican-controlled legislatures. Additionally, about a third of the bills they analyzed had co-sponsors from both major parties, suggesting there are still opportunities for bipartisanship.

There is also more bipartisanship on climate happening already than many people are aware of, noted Burgess, pointing to the Climate Solutions Caucus, a bipartisan caucus of U.S. legislators supported by the Citizens' Climate Lobby, and the climate provisions in the COVID-19 stimulus and infrastructure bills.听

Rep. Curtis highlighted the Energy Act of 2020, a bipartisan effort to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)鈥攃hemical refrigerants that contribute to global warming鈥攂y 85% over 15 years. It passed through a Republican Senate, a Democratic House, and was signed by President Trump in December of 2020. While it didn鈥檛 receive much media attention at the time, it is one of the most significant energy packages passed in the U.S. in the past decade, said Curtis. 听

鈥淲e don't often tout enough our successes,鈥� said Curtis. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much work to be done in the climate realm, that rarely do we look back and say, 鈥榦h good job.鈥� Usually the comment is more 鈥榳ell that wasn鈥檛 enough.鈥欌��

Politics don鈥檛 hinder youth participation

Young people of all stripes are concerned about climate change and want things done, according to Burgess鈥攁nd there are many opportunities for young people to get involved, regardless of their political views.

This was evident by the number of CU Boulder students who attended the event on a Thursday morning, making up roughly one-third of the in-person attendees. Several students asked questions during the Q&A and afterward, during a separate reception with Neguse.听

Blake Lincoln, a political science undergraduate student, asked the lawmakers how we can address the cultural element of climate action鈥攈ow it affects the economy, jobs and values that our families may have raised us with.

Curtis said addressing climate change requires a global effort, and is not just an issue for the U.S. to address.听

鈥淒one right, we don鈥檛 need to lose U.S. jobs over this,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and actually fuel our economy at the same time.鈥澨�

Neguse positioned climate action as a matter of preserving our way of life, and if we want to preserve our lands and our enjoyable activities on them, 鈥渨e ought to get serious about climate change.鈥澨�

Common values can fuel shared goals听

Burgess stressed that the panel discussion was about discussing common ground, not arguing opposing viewpoints.听

鈥淭his is about consensus; we're not having a debate,鈥� he said, early in the event. 鈥淲e're trying to understand each other and work together.鈥澨�

Curtis noted that both Provo City, Utah, where he previously served as mayor, and Boulder, Colorado, are college towns surrounded by mountains and natural beauty, where residents love recreating, sight-seeing and otherwise engaging with their local landscapes.听

Neguse echoed Curtis鈥檚 sentiments as a proud Coloradan, but also noted the fear that Coloradans and other western residents now face year-round about 鈥渨hat fire may very well develop over the next 12 hours,鈥� referencing several fires burning across the state at the time.听

The wildfires we鈥檙e experiencing today are more severe, pervasive, and intense than those we鈥檝e experienced previously, Neguse said.听

鈥淵ou all know this in Colorado, we don鈥檛 have fire seasons anymore, we have fire years.鈥澨�

Neguse and Curtis said these common values, and the threats to them, help motivate their shared goals when it comes to climate action.听

鈥淲e all have an innate desire to protect and preserve this Earth,鈥� said Curtis. 鈥淕o to that and start working on a climate dialogue.鈥澨�

As a global leader in climate, environmental and energy research, the University of Colorado Boulder is partnering with United Nations Human Rights to co-host the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit in fall 2022.

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