Letter to the editor: Climate change is a serious issue in Colorado - Sky-Hi News

Letter to the editor: Climate change is a serious issue in Colorado | SkyHiNews.com

Letter to the editor: Climate change is a serious issue in Colorado

It’s no secret that climate change is a serious issue in Colorado that must be dealt with immediately. But the fact is that climate change will start affecting you.

“Current climate models project that Colorado will warm by 2.5°F by 2025 and 4°F by 2050. Summers are likely to warm more than winters. Warmer temperatures will affect evaporation rates in our rivers, streams, and reservoirs, perhaps making less water available for beneficial use,” according to the Colorado Water and Conservation Board.

CBS Colorado recently stated that “The climate is slowly evolving from one of picturesque snowy mountain tops to one of bare, dusty ones. Now, scientists are predicting Colorado could lose somewhere around 50-60% of its snow by the year 2080.”

If this is the future we face, why are we not doing something about it?

To put this into more impactful terms,” Here in Colorado, areas along the Rocky Mountains could see the largest impact, with snowpacks decreasing by between 0.2 and about 1.5 inches of moisture between 2036 and 2065, this equates to about a foot of snowfall annually,” according to KDVR Denver.

In my eyes, losing about a foot of snow annually is extremely alarming and takes away the importance of Colorado. Whether you enjoy the Colorado winters or not, it takes away from what makes Colorado what it is.

Climate change is affecting all of us in Colorado as we speak. Its impact on Colorado over the last 50 years is alarming and will only get more ominous over the next 50. In the previous 50 years, experts say the Colorado River’s natural flow had decreased by 20% due to climate change. This is important because we use the Colorado River as a water source for 40 million people and millions of acres of farms.

If climate change continues at this rate that means that there could be tens of millions of people who lose the water source that they are relying on. Additionally, suppose millions of acres of farmland lose their access to water. In that case, millions of crops we use as food become unavailable.

Eli Rosenberg

Winter Park resident
See more

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.