State-Level Climate Security Education: Colorado

Colorado is experiencing a rise in billion-dollar climate disasters, with an increase from 1.7 annually since 1980 to 4.4 per year between 2020 and 2024. The state faces critical threats from wildfires, flooding, avalanches, and drought, which impact public health, infrastructure, and the economy. Federal agencies including NOAA and FEMA provide essential forecasting, research, and funding for mitigation, such as the $13.8 million BRIC grant for the Greely Water Pipeline. However, proposed FY26 budget cuts and the cancellation of programs like BRIC threaten to shutter research labs in Boulder, eliminate cooperative university partnerships, and reduce funding for climate-smart agriculture and critical mineral surveys, potentially increasing the vulnerability of both local communities and military installations such as Buckley Space Force Base and Fort Carson.

• Colorado has seen a significant increase in the frequency of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, rising from an average of 1.7 events per year since 1980 to 4.4 events annually between 2020 and 2024.
• Wildfires are a primary destructive hazard in Colorado, with the twenty largest fires by acreage occurring since 2000. The 2021 Marshall Fire was the most destructive in state history, causing over $2 billion in damages and destroying more than 1,000 homes.
• Flooding is the hazard responsible for the highest loss of life in Colorado. Historical events include the 1921 Pueblo flood, which resulted in over 1,500 fatalities, and the 2013 Front Range flood, which caused 8 deaths and estimated damages between $1 and $2 billion.
• Colorado has the highest number of avalanche fatalities in the US since 1950, with 325 deaths, exceeding Alaska's 172. This trend may be influenced by the increased popularity of backcountry skiing and climate-driven temperature volatility.
• Drought is a recurring hazard that ranks Colorado as the 5th most at-risk state in the US. It impacts municipal water supplies, agriculture, and the regional water allocation for states including California, Nevada, and Arizona.
• The state hosts critical US national security assets, including Buckley Space Force Base, Fort Carson, Peterson and Schriever Space Force Base, the US Air Force Academy, and the USAREC Denver Battalion.
• Proposed FY26 budget cuts to NOAA and FEMA could severely disrupt Colorado's resilience, including the potential closure of four labs in Boulder employing 350 people and the loss of cooperative partnerships at Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Boulder involving over 900 people.
• The cancellation of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program by the Trump administration in April 2025 results in a loss of at least $14.2 million for Colorado, including a $13.8 million grant for the Greely Water Pipeline.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2025). State-Level Climate Security Education: Colorado. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/12/04/state-level-climate-security-education-colorado/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. State-Level Climate Security Education: Colorado. 2025. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/12/04/state-level-climate-security-education-colorado/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=State-Level Climate Security Education: Colorado |date=4 December 2025 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/12/04/state-level-climate-security-education-colorado/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2025statelevel, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{State-Level Climate Security Education: Colorado}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2025/12/04/state-level-climate-security-education-colorado/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }