Colorado led the trend with a whopping 58% increase in teen suicides – more than double the troublesome national increase.

Our No. 1 ranking for teen suicides should be nothing less than a crisis to the political class, and leadership of businesses, communities, religious institutions, schools and nonprofits.

Stop, for the moment, this fixation with climate change and flashy battery cars. Instead, kick off the next legislative session with a focus on young people in states of emotional turmoil so severe they are willing to end their lives.

While we probably cannot stop the climate’s historical propensity to change, we can quickly alter the teen suicide trajectory. Just look to Colorado Springs and the rest of El Paso County to see how it can be done. It involves a warmer, kinder, more caring social climate.

At the same time, Colorado’s teen suicide rate went off the charts, community leaders throughout the Colorado Springs metro area worked together to address the dilemma. They decided to look for at-risk young people and offer them help.

After the county organized a suicide-prevention workgroup, we saw teachers, parents, friends and clergy learn to look for signs of mental distress in time for life-saving interventions.

The result: A 46.7% decrease in the teen suicide rate as the rest of the state increased by 58%. That, despite the fact metro Colorado Springs makes up more than 10% of the state’s population.