What John Hickenlooper Has to Tell the United Nations About Climate Change

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will join several top leaders from Colorado, including Governor Bill Ritter’s climate change adviser, Alice Madden, in Copenhagen for the United Nations’ meeting on climate change. Hickenlooper was invited by the White House to participate in a transportation panel, where he’s expected to talk about the Denver metro-area’s effort to expand rail—and more. “A lot of the world opinion is against the United States, they don’t think we’re doing enough,” he tells 9News. “Part of what’s going on in the U.S. is local communities are taking matters into their own hands. We are going to insulate our buildings better. We are going to use more energy-efficient lighting.” On a separate panel, Madden will discuss Colorado’s goals of expanding and investing in renewable energy. She’ll also meet with more than 100 companies to make them aware of the merits of doing business in Colorado. The overarching aim of the conference is negotiations among nations for a new global climate treaty, building on the efforts of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to reduce worldwide pollution. India has taken the lead, approaching Copenhagen by introducing steps that could bring its emissions under better control, according to Bloomberg News. The conference begins Monday and both Madden and Hickenlooper’s panels will be streamed live (click here for video). Meanwhile, Hickenlooper has his somewhat-wild hair under control, after receiving an emergency haircut from “barber to the stars” Jerry Middleton under hectic circumstances, writes The Denver Post.