Mountain towns are uniquely exposed to the effects of climate change, and are increasingly organizing to safeguard the environment that makes them so distinctive.
With the MT2030 Net Zero Summit, invited leaders from over 40 mountain community governments, NGO’s and climate-oriented businesses from across the US have gathered for three days in support of ambitious action plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.
Green Banks are on the agenda as a way to deploy financial resources towards this critical goal. Paul Scharfenberger, Executive Director of the Colorado Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), spoke last week at a session on the growing opportunities to finance projects that help mountain towns transition to net zero emissions.
CCEF is designed based on the Green Bank model, and is a member of the American Green Bank Consortium. At the event, the discussion aimed to inform municipalities and towns about the opportunities they have to play a role in financing energy efficiency and clean energy. Arranging public private partnerships, providing capital to local and state Green Banks, and creating or supporting local PACE programs are all ways that towns can help to accelerate the clean energy transition through financing.
To learn more about the event, check out the Mountain Towns 2030 website, and local coverage on KPCW. For more on state and local Green Banks and the innovative financial tools they’re developing, see the Annual Industry Report of the American Green Bank Consortium.