research highlight

Colorado Climate Preparedness Project

Bobbie Klein and Bill Travis recently began work on a Western Water Assessment-funded project that will address the state of Colorado’s progress toward Governor Ritter’s goal of preparing the state to adapt to unavoidable climate change. The primary purpose of the project is to set the stage for the next governor to continue to plan for climate variability and change by providing a catalog of climate vulnerabilities and current activities, personnel, products, and projects from Colorado and other entities along with policy relevant, but not prescriptive, suggestions for future actions. The project will focus on five key sectors in Colorado:

1. water
2. agriculture
3. wildlife, ecosystems and forestry
4. climate-sensitive recreation and tourism
5. energy

The project will also examine cross-sectoral interactions and impacts. Activities include a literature search, structured interviews with key decision makers and other personnel, and creation of a publicly searchable, web-based database of climate response personnel and activities underway, planned and/or desired. These efforts will culminate in a final report which is due in early January 2011.