Climate change in Colorado

Köppen climate types in Colorado showing half the state to be cold semi-arid, and the remainder to be a mix of other types with many microclimates.
EPA map of changing snowpack levels in Colorado and New Mexico.

Climate change in Colorado encompasses the effects of climate change, attributed to man-made increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, in the U.S. state of Colorado.

In 2019 The Denver Post reported that "[i]ndividuals living in southeastern Colorado are more vulnerable to potential health effects from climate change than residents in other parts of the state".[1] The United States Environmental Protection Agency has more broadly reported:

"Colorado's climate is changing. Most of the state has warmed one or two degrees (F) in the last century. Throughout the western United States, heat waves are becoming more common, snow is melting earlier in spring, and less water flows through the Colorado River.[2][3] Rising temperatures[4] and recent droughts[5] in the region have killed many trees by drying out soils, increasing the risk of forest fires, or enabling outbreaks of forest insects. In the coming decades, the changing climate is likely to decrease water availability and agricultural yields in Colorado, and further increase the risk of wildfires".[6]

  1. ^ "People living in this part of Colorado are most at risk of climate change's adverse health effects, study says". The Denver Post. April 23, 2019.
  2. ^ Zielinski, Sarah. "The Colorado River Runs Dry". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  3. ^ "On the Water-Starved Colorado River, Drought Is the New Normal". Yale E360. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  4. ^ Hood, Grace. "As Climate Warms, Colorado's Record-Setting Hot Days Outnumber Cold Ones 3:1". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  5. ^ "Over a quarter of Colorado is now officially in a drought". The Denver Post. 2019-10-05. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  6. ^ "What Climate Change Means for Colorado" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. August 2016.