Policy Brief: No, Climate Change Is Not ‘Straining Budgets’ in Colorado Towns

Published November 16, 2020

The Colorado Sun published a misleading and scientifically deficient article on November 6, 2020, titled “The High Cost of Climate Change Is Already Straining the Budgets of Colorado Towns.” To reach that erroneous conclusion, the article’s author ignored real-world climate data reported by NASA, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The Sun article chronicles recent drought and wildfires in Colorado, as well as an active Spring 2019 avalanche season, laying the blame for these events and their costs to local governments on climate change. However, objective data tell a different story.

Contrary to the arguments made by the Sun and other climate alarmist news outlets, the available evidence suggests climate change is not increasing the frequency or severity of events The Colorado Sun claims are straining Colorado budgets.