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More than 100 people, including Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, turned out for a lively panel discussion on the CU �鶹ӰԺ campus Friday to discuss ways individuals, governments and the global community can combat climate change.

Title image: Gov. Jared Polis addresses the audience and introduces panelists at the Conference on World Affairs. Bottom: Polis greets individuals after the session. Photos by Casey A. Cass/CU �鶹ӰԺ.

The Conference on World Affairs session titled “Climate Change: A Global Challenge with Local Opportunities” comes just days after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a chilling report asserting the world is not doing enough to mitigate the catastrophic effects of climate change, even though it has many of the tools to do so.

“This report is another critical reminder of the enormous cost and toll of inaction,” said Polis, who introduced the panel. “This is not just as superficial as shorter ski seasons. This is deadly, in terms of year-round fire seasons, disastrous mudslides and areas of the world where starvation is a realistic outcome.”

After lauding CU �鶹ӰԺ for its plans to host the Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit in December in collaboration with the United Nations, Polis called on the audience to take action now.

“We can’t treat this like it is somebody else’s problem. Yes, the U.N. needs to act, and the U.S. needs to act. But we also need to act aggressively at the local level…including in our homes with our own practices.”