Future Avoided Cost Explorer: Colorado Hazards

Changes in global climate patterns show Colorado faces more frequent and intense hazards. Steady increases in state population means Colorado faces constant pressure to decide how and where to develop communities. Combined, these drivers warn of increased vulnerabilities, economic disruption, and loss of life and ecosystem services.

This project presents an in-depth look at potential future economic impacts of flood, drought, and wildfire on specific sectors of the Colorado economy. Impacts are reported in terms of  expected annual damages : the expense that would occur in any given year if monetary damages from all hazard probabilities and magnitudes were spread out over time (units = 2019 dollars).

Explore the four result dashboards below or dig into the analysis in the  full technical report .

Use the dashboard below to explore how flood, drought, and wildfire may cause economic damages under a variety of climate and population scenarios.

While flood, drought, and wildfire are likely to cause damages across many sectors of the economy, these costs will vary by region. There are many potential uses for this data ( FAQ ) to inform local, regional, and statewide actions to build resilience.

Nearly all sector damages are expected to increase in the future. Understanding the magnitude of these increased damages can help us facilitate discussions around which mitigation and resilience strategies are viable across the state. The graphic below illustrates how damages grow under a low impact future and high impact future.

Resilient communities take actions to reduce (mitigate) their hazard risk, respond better during a disaster, and recover from disasters more quickly. By studying how these hazards affect Colorado under future climate and population scenarios, we can better mitigate and adapt to their anticipated impacts - leaving our communities more prepared and resilient in the face of certain change.