www.kansascity.com: Trip to Colorado creates emissions to talk about cutting them

A Rocky Mountain retreat in a lodge on a cool, glistening lake may sound pretty good about now.

It does to three climate change groups from our area. They’re planning to go this week to Colorado to discuss reducing carbon emissions.

Which brings us to an ironic twist: They’ll be increasing their own emissions by flying 1,400 miles to the lodge and back.

And that’s just odd, say some other environmentalists after being told about the trip.

Kathleen Logan Smith of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment said she doesn’t understand why groups seeking to reduce greenhouse gases would choose to travel 1,400 miles in planes that produce thousands of pounds of CO2.

“We have beautiful, breathtaking and not miserable places here even in August,” said Smith, who is executive director of the nonprofit. “Is there something they can’t get from Missouri that they can get in Colorado?”

Kansas City’s climate protection committee says yes.

This week about two dozen steering committee members, government officials and others will fly to Denver and then take vans to Shadowcliff, a retreat perched on a cliff overlooking Grand Lake, to discuss protecting the climate.