A new report by the Denver Public Schools says the state has the worst climate change outcomes among the states, even if climate change is not an issue.
The report says Colorado has a climate of denial, where schools are not taught about climate change.
“We need to educate people to take action,” said Jennifer Schmitt, director of public education and climate change at the Denver School District.
“It’s not just about the climate change, it’s about the human costs of this.”
Schmitt said the report focuses on the schools and does not address whether climate change actually has a negative effect on students’ academic performance.
“Our students are at a time in our country where the world is rapidly shifting, and the world needs to be prepared for this kind of change,” she said.
The new report comes after a report from the U.S. Climate Leadership Council found Colorado had the worst climates in the nation.
The Climate Leadership Report, published last year by the University of Texas-Austin, said Colorado had “the worst climate for the U.”
States like Florida, Texas, and California had among the worst scores for climate outcomes in the country.
But the report also found Colorado has the highest average temperature and the lowest average precipitation, making it one of the states with the lowest percentage of students who are vaccinated against the flu, the report said.
Colorado was ranked second-worst for average temperature, and second-best for average precipitation.
It was ranked fifth-worst in average temperature for students who have been vaccinated against influenza, and seventh-worst among students who haven’t been vaccinated.
The Colorado Public Schools report was based on data from the National Centers for Environmental Information.