We are on the front lines of climate change. Sitting in a valley at 7,000 feet with one of Colorado’s most important rivers and surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks, our economy in Salida is driven by the outdoors. Activities like skiing, the river, camping and agriculture, all of which are deeply impacted by carbon pollution and the climate change it causes.

It is simply impossible to ignore the impacts. From less snow on our peaks, to the spread of pine beetles and the growing damage from wildland fires, to less water in our rivers and streams, it is clear that not only is climate change real, it is harming our economy and our way of life. We know we must come together to solve these challenging problems.

Only last summer, the Decker Fire just outside of town, driven by drought, beetle-kill pines and unusually high temperatures, had a devastating economic impact on our community.

That is why Salida is working hard to reduce our carbon footprint. We just completed our greenhouse gas emissions inventory, allowing us to focus on policies that will have the biggest impact. We discovered that we emit on average about 18 pounds of carbon per person per year. Now it is time to lower that number.

The city of Salida has already offset our electricity usage with 100% renewables. We can now expand this program to residents and to businesses. I know firsthand as a small-business owner that my distillery relies on protecting our town and local agriculture from climate impacts; this is a problem we all must face. Addressing climate impacts is not just about protecting our incredible natural environment. It is about protecting our economy as well.

From our greenhouse gas inventory, we know that increasing our waste diversion rate will have a substantial impact on carbon pollution. This is something we can start doing right now. If we all throw away less, recycle more, and compost more, we together can bring down our carbon impact. We will also take on bigger projects like doing energy audits and upgrades on our older buildings and working on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

Communities on the front line of climate change are leading the way but cannot be the only ones taking action. The state of Colorado needs to embrace the tenacity that Salida has shown and lead the way. Colorado recently set statewide greenhouse gas emission goals, is doing their own greenhouse gas inventory, and has started to take the kind of bold action we need to combat climate change.

I implore the Air Quality Control Commission and the Public Utilities Commission to take full and decisive action on climate change. Ultimately, it is front-line communities like Salida and the residents living in our valley and across the state that are experiencing the impacts of climate change. We are working hard on our part of the problem and look forward to the state joining us.

P.T. Wood is the mayor of Salida and owner of Wood’s High Mountain Distillery.