Resilience

The city of Durango's resiliency work begain in 2018, when the city was selected as one of seven across the nation to participate in the National League of Cities Leadership in Community Resilience Program.

The program provided the city with $10,000 in funding for resilience events as well as professional development opportunities and technical assistance throughout the year.

The City has been conducting climate resilience training with it's own staff and, on December 12th, 2018, hosted its first public Resilience workshop. The workshop was led by the Association of Climate Change Officers, and saw City staff, key local stakeholders and members of the public engage on climate change and resilience.

The workshop focused on the headline impacts for our region:


Observed (past 50 yrs)	2F warming in CO over the past century. Minimum temperatures rising more than maximum temperatures. Peak Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) has shifted 20 days earlier. Tree density at tree line has increased and trees growing at higher elevations.	Mostly below average precipitation and snowpack since 2000. Area burned 1984 - 2014 twice what it would have been without climate change	Increase in extreme events frequency and cost across the US.
Projected	All models predict warming. 2.5 - 6.5F increase by 2050. Summer temperatures warming slightly more than winter temperatures. More frequent and extreme heat events.	Uncertain total precipitation. Increasing percentage of precipitation falling as rain, reduced snowpack. Earlier peak snowmelt and run-off by 1-3 weeks by mid-century. Reduced summer soil moisture and available water supply due to increased evapo-transpiration.	Increase in intense precipitation events.
Observed and projected impacts from: U.S. Fourth National Climate Assessment (Nov, 2018), U.S. Climate REsilience Toolkit Climate Explorer, Colorado Resiliency Framework (2015), Mountain Studies Institute San Juan Climate Initiative.

Observed

(past 50 yrs)

2F warming in CO over the past century.
Minimum temperatures rising more than maximum temperatures.
Peak Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) has shifted 20 days earlier.
Tree density at tree line has increased and trees growing at higher elevations.

Mostly below average precipitation and snowpack since 2000.
Area burned 1984 - 2014 twice what it would have been without climate change

Increase in extreme events frequency and cost across the US.

Projected

All models predict warming. 2.5 - 6.5F increase by 2050. Summer temperatures warming slightly more than winter temperatures. More frequent and extreme heat events.

Uncertain total precipitation.
Increasing percentage of precipitation falling as rain, reduced snowpack.
Earlier peak snowmelt and run-off by 1-3 weeks by mid-century.
Reduced summer soil moisture and available water supply due to increased evapo-transpiration.

Increase in intense precipitation events.

Observed and projected impacts from: U.S. Fourth National Climate Assessment (Nov, 2018), U.S. Climate REsilience Toolkit Climate Explorer, Colorado Resiliency Framework (2015), Mountain Studies Institute San Juan Climate Initiative.

Resilience

Observed

Projected

Contact Us

Quick Links

Site Links