Bedrooms Are For People: A step toward less emissions

By Michael S Diamond, PhD. Also published as a Letter to the Editor in the Daily Camera on August 28, 2021.

"As a climate scientist, I know that global warming threatens lives, livelihoods, and wildlife in Boulder and around the world. Together, buildings and transportation account for almost half of Colorado’s heat-trapping CO2 emissions. As a citizen of Boulder, I’m voting YES on Bedrooms Are For People’s ballot initiative to take one important step toward reducing these emissions.

The newly released report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows that our region has much to lose if we allow the world to continue warming. Western North America has already experienced increases in extreme heat and agricultural and ecological drought due to our actions. We are projected to suffer from further increases in heat, drought, heavy rains and flooding, and fire weather if our inaction allows the world to continue warming. Dramatically cutting emissions of greenhouse gases like CO2 as soon as possible is necessary to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

Bedrooms Are For People’s plan to give people more freedom to live together tackles this problem in multiple ways. For example, it is more efficient to heat and cool one house with multiple residents than multiple detached houses with those same people living apart. Giving people more flexibility in where they live will also allow them to live closer to their places of work and leisure. This means less commuting, and thus lower CO2 emissions from cars (and reduced air pollution as an added bonus!). Not everyone needs to cohabitate to help halt global warming, but there is no reason to prevent those who wish to safely do so from living as they please while protecting the planet. Passing this initiative in November is a common-sense way to combat climate change while also advancing the causes of affordability, liberty, and equity in Boulder."