The climate in Colorado is changing, in large part due to increasing levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. The state is significantly warmer today compared to 50 years ago, with the average annual temperature having increased 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1965. Scientists estimate that the state will see an additional 2.5 to 5 degrees of warming by 2050 (Colorado Climate Plan, 2015). Already, past warming in Colorado has resulted in multiple hazards including faster and earlier snowmelt, longer and more severe droughts, and more frequent periods of extreme heat. Moving forward, climate change is expected to have significant impacts across multiple sectors of our state’s economy.
Climate Change in Colorado – An Interview with Taryn Finnessey
The climate in Colorado is changing, with important implications for local communities. To learn more about the science of climate change in Colorado, the project team interviewed Taryn Finnessey, Climate Change and Risk Management Specialist at the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB).
Q: What is the climate change outlook for Colorado?
Temperatures in Colorado have risen, and we are anticipating an additional 2.5 degrees of warming by mid-century. Warming is really the driver that affects water availability, soil moisture, and evapotranspiration. All of those play a role in fire hazard, drought, and ecosystem and watershed health. Temperature has an impact on floods, both post-fire and post-drought. There are public health implications as a result of increased temperature and impacts on water quality and air quality.
Precipitation is a bit harder to pin down. Some models show precipitation increasing, some show it decreasing. Should we see a decrease in precipitation, it will further compound many of these issues. Even if precipitation stays the same, we will see a decrease in water availability because it will take incrementally more precipitation to overcome that warming signal.
Q: What other impacts should we expect to see from the changing climate?
One of the things we will see is an increase in water temperatures, which is obviously a concern for our cold-water fish species. We are also seeing a shift in earlier spring runoff by 1-3 weeks, separately from dust-on-snow events. These earlier peak runoffs result in lower late summer flows. In some areas, this means rivers are not flowing, which has implications for riparian habitats and fisheries. There is also concern about the spread of non-native species and disease across all ecosystems. These non-native species may be more competitive in regions that become too warm or that are changing too rapidly for native species to adapt.
Taryn Finnessey is a staff member at the Colorado Water Conservation Board and was formerly a water policy analyst for Western Resource Advocates. Climate Change in Colorado, released by the CWCB in August of 2014, is the scientific foundation for the Colorado Climate Plan. This interview was conducted in October 2015 by Andrew Rumbach (University of Colorado Denver). The interview has been condensed and edited.
In 2013, the Colorado General Assembly passed House Bill 13-1293, which declared that climate change “presents serious, diverse, and ongoing issues for the state’s people, economy, and environment.” The State has since released several plans and reports focused on reducing the impacts of climate change, whether through mitigation (actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) or adaptation (actions to cope with change climate conditions). The Colorado Climate Change Vulnerability Study (2015), commissioned by the Colorado Energy Office, is an overview of key vulnerabilities of state resources to climate change. The Colorado Climate Plan (2015) is intended to promote state policy recommendations and actions that will help the state to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to future climate change impacts. The Colorado Climate Plan follows the publication of the Colorado Climate Action Plan (2007), which focused largely on greenhouse gas mitigation.