What will climate change mean specifically to Aspen? We know the global average projections, but will the impacts be the same, or greater or less, in our area?

One of the first major projects of the Canary Initiative was a comprehensive, integrated scientific assessment of the likely impacts of global warming on Aspen - temperatures, snowfall, streamflow, and runoff but also the likely economic and ecological impacts. The study, completed by Aspen Global Change Institute, found that Aspen is already seeing the impacts of climate change, with local temperatures climbing faster than the global average. For the future, climate models indicate that if global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, Aspen is projected to experience about 6°F of additional warming by 2100, giving it a similar climate to that of Los Alamos, New Mexico. If global emissions continue their rapid rise, Aspen is projected to warm 14°F by the end of this century, giving it a similar climate to that of Amarillo, Texas.
Other questions addressed in this report are:

• How can climate change affect the length and quality of the ski season?
• What ecological impacts of climate change, such as forest fires, could affect skiing and other aspects of Aspen's resort economy?
• How sensitive is Aspen's economy and other aspects of community well-being to climate changes that affect skiing or Aspen's other natural and social capital?
• What options exist, over what time horizons, to adjust Aspen's economy to changes in climate?

Go to AGCI's website to download the full report, the Press Release, the Key Findings, and the Executive Summary.

The following diagram represents the choices we have to respond to such impacts. Adaptation is required, but it's important to recognize that adaptation policy will not address the problem. Only mitigation policy – aggressively reducing greenhouse gas emissions – will address the problem of global warming.