This past Tuesday evening something hopeful and energizing took place. Fort Collins took an important step forward toward protecting our children and their children.

In the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”, Al Gore makes a stunningly convincing case for combating global warming. Indisputable facts presented in the film firmly relegate those who dismiss global warming as a hoax to the same dark corner as flat Earth theorists and Holocaust deniers.

Those who cover their ears to talk of global warming fear changes to the American lifestyle, a dangerous assumption. The lifestyle- and life-threatening consequences of global warming are not imminent, they are upon us. The time to act was years ago, but that’s coastline flooding under the bridge.

It’s a foregone conclusion that the current White House administration will take no action. The new Congress might, but they face the obstacle of a limited and visionless president. Still, there’s hope.

There’s a wonderful moment in “An Inconvenient Truth” where Gore presses a button on his hand-held control unit and projected behind him we see column after column of American cities who have acted on their own. There’s too much fast-flying text to see if Fort Collins appears on that list, but it should.

We have forward-thinking people right here at home willing to defy the Dark Ages mentality that has hamstrung our nation.

A little history is warranted. In 1997, Fort Collins committed to track emissions of greenhouse gases. In 1999, the city then resolved to reduce emissions by 30% by 2010. A noble pursuit, but as of today, Fort Collins is not on track to meet that goal. More disturbing, current calculations indicate that we will exceed that target by 30%, in the wrong direction.

A year and a half ago, a team of smart and passionate individuals formed the Fort Collins Sustainability Group (FCSG) and made it their mission to work to reverse this disturbing trend. The group put forth a resolution that, if approved by City Council, would charge a task force with developing a plan to meet our greenhouse gas emissions target.

While the moral arguments for such efforts should be obvious — after all, protecting the safety and well being of future generations should be a no-brainer — the economic arguments, perhaps not quite so obvious, are also extremely strong. We now know that our new governor, Bill Ritter, wants to make renewable energy his top priority for this year, and in doing so, make Colorado a center for economic development in the industry. Job opportunities and profits await those who meet the nation’s growing need for renewable energy, alternative fuels, and energy-saving technologies. Visionary local leadership can position Fort Collins to take advantage.

So, as you can see, this impressive FCSG initiative is part of something even bigger, as the tide turns on the issue of global warming. At the state level, the Colorado Climate Project, which involves high-profile directors from across the state, including our own mayor, also seeks to reduce greenhouse gases, and the FCSG resolution will be coordinated with that effort. Meanwhile, at the national level, the new Democrat-led Congress is expected to introduce legislation to address climate change, global warming and the fuel efficiency of cars. These are all very encouraging developments.

Back here at home, the FCSG’s resolution was reviewed by City Council Tuesday evening in a working session. While this was not a voting session, across-the-board City Council members, including the mayor, expressed their support. In the words of one FCSG member, Fort Collins resident Reiner Lomb, “This is the best outcome that we could wish for.”