Colorado is set to appoint a “climate-change czar” after governor John Hickenlooper signed a new bill into law this week. The position “will make recommendations on how to prepare for everything from larger wildfires to shorter ski seasons.”
The position’s exact name hasn’t been determined, but will have the phrase “climate change” in it. The Associated Press reports that since it will be a part-time position, the “czar” will likely be a government employee who takes on the added responsibility, which includes an annual report about climate change’s effects on the state.
The Colorado law is at the front of states’ efforts to allocate government resources to the climate-change issue. According to the AP, only New York has an office that studies climate change’s impact, although other states have somewhat similar positions, such as climatologists, within other departments.