Issues & Action >

Threats to Colorado Ecosystems from Fossil Fuels

• Approximately 30 new coal plants proposed across the west, 2 of which are proposed for Colorado in Lamar and Comanche Counties. Carbon emissions from these 30 plants would be 70 million tons per year, equivalent to 12.5 million cars driving for a year;
• Coal mining in Colorado requires removing enormous quantities of top soil and rock, and degrading water quality and habitat;
• New transmission lines to serve new coal plants degrade or carve up terrestrial habitat and critical migratory corridors;
• Oil and gas development on public and private lands degrades habitat and water quality. Drilling is occurring at record rates in Colorado with the number of permits issued in 2007 being five times greater than issued in 2000. And many of these were on our public lands;
• Oil and gas development impacts species such as Gunnison and Greater Sage-grouse, at least 11 other species of sagebrush obligate birds, and big game animals.

Threats to Colorado Ecosystems from Global Warming

• Dramatic reduction in snowpack in Colorado will lead to problems for alpine species of birds and other wildlife; less frequent watering of intermittent rivers, streams, wetlands, vernal pools and other habitats; increased droughts and pressures on already strained water resources; and calls for more dams and reservoirs, further reducing riparian habitat;
• Significant reduction in western habitats such as Prairie Potholes (91%), sagebrush (59%), cold water streams (50%).
• Increase in invasive species, including new pests and diseases that impact wildlife and ecosystems;
• Increase in catastrophic wildfires (four-fold increase in last few decades) due in large part to dryer conditions, higher winds, pest- and disease-weakened forests and ecosystems;
• Increased air pollution due to higher temperatures (which cause more smog) and greater winds (which cause more dust/particulate matter pollution) harming public health, wildlife and aesthetic beauty of many western regions.
• Reductions in corn and wheat yields of between 8-33 percent as water shortages lead to less soil moisture and less water for irrigation.
• Loss of wildlife and habitat could mean a loss of tourism dollars. In 2006, more than 2.3 million people spent more than $2.4 billion on hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing in Colorado, which in turn supported more than 36,000 jobs in the state.