More than 60 groups, health and business leaders, and state and local representatives gathered at the State Capitol for the release of a new report on the economic costs and human toll of climate disasters on Coloradans.

DENVER — Today, over 60 groups, including conservation organizations, business leaders, and Colorado lawmakers, rallied at the Colorado State Capitol calling for bolder climate action and preparation to respond to the human and economic costs of climate change impacts and disasters. These impacts are worsening rapidly as our planet overheats due to a buildup of heat-trapping pollution, and Colorado’s temperatures are rising faster than the U.S. national average, warming about 2.9 degrees since 1970 compared to the national 2.5 degrees.

The event marked the release of a new report by the Colorado Fiscal Institute (CFI) finding Colorado conservatively faces a minimum of $33 billion to $37 billion in climate change costs by 2050 from extreme heat, infrastructure costs, wildfires, flooding, winter sports industry impacts, and more, but the report warns that these numbers should be considered a floor as many climate impact costs are not included since they cannot easily be modeled and quantified. The preliminary data in the report will be updated as new information is available, and authors are currently in the process of quantifying drought damages to the agriculture sector, which will be added to the report shortly.

“From wildfires and extreme heat to floods, drought, and skyrocketing insurance costs, climate disasters are no longer distant threats – climate disasters are happening here and now, to our families, our homes, and our communities,” said Micah Parkin, executive director of 350 Colorado. “This study provides a conservative but frightening initial glimpse and estimate of a portion of the costs we can expect to incur in the years to come, and we know that these costs will be far greater. We need urgent action not only to reduce climate pollution quickly, but also to prepare for over $1.4 billion per year in additional costs to taxpayers as we attempt to adapt to a new normal.”

“After losing my home in the 2021 Colorado Marshall Fire in the suburban community of Superior, I realized that climate impacts are here now and devastating weather disasters can happen anywhere. We know extreme heat fuels the conditions for droughts and wildfires. In 2025, with record-breaking temperatures becoming more frequent, these risks are no longer abstract as they are here and they are harming real people,” said Erica Solove, community program manager at Extreme Weather Survivors.

The CFI study used historic and predictive models to analyze potential costs of climate-related costs through 2050 for wildfire damage and smoke mortality ($1.34 billion), wildfire adaptation ($2.3 billion), storm damages ($220.3 million), impacts on roads, bridges, building upgrades, and stormwater systems ($8.68 billion), winter recreation ($351 million), and heat mortality ($24.9 billion), using medium and high climate emissions scenarios. CFI author Pegah Jalali considers the study to be conservative as it doesn’t analyze rising insurance rates and housing market impacts, non-fatal health impacts, agricultural yield, and biodiversity loss.

“Between 2025 and 2050, our analysis finds that climate change could impose roughly $33 billion to $37 billion in additional costs and resilience needs across Colorado’s health, infrastructure, wildfire, flooding, and winter recreation impacts,” said Pegah Jalali of the Colorado Fiscal Institute and author of Colorado Climate Damages & Adaptation Costs Report. “The largest quantified drivers are extreme heat, which could lead to about 1,800 to 1,900 additional heat-related deaths (about $24 billion to $25 billion in losses), and infrastructure pressures, totaling about $8.3 billion to $8.7 billion in added costs and upgrades as roads, bridges, stormwater systems, and building cooling demand are pushed beyond historical design conditions. Wildfire smoke and property impacts add another $1.3 billion, with additional resilience needs on the order of $2.3 billion. These figures don’t capture every hazard or indirect loss, but they make one point clear: planning and investment now can save lives and avoid much larger costs later.”

“Climate change in Colorado is costing us a lot of money. The dramatic increase in home insurance rates, forest fires, droughts, snow shortfalls, air pollution, water pollution, and the ruining of our biological environment are all costly, reaching into billions that are hard to comprehend,” said Ramesh Bhatt, conservation chair for the Colorado Sierra Club. “Every household in Colorado is paying for these costs, as are businesses, local governments, fire districts, transportation districts, and schools. We need to come up with a plan to meet these costs fairly and ensure polluters are held accountable for the damages.”

At the press conference, state Sens. Lisa Cutter and Mike Weisemann and state Rep. Elizabeth Velasco indicated they are concerned about the human toll and rising costs of the climate crisis and are seeking protections for workers facing extreme heat. According to CFI’s study, total heat-related excess deaths could skyrocket to nearly 2,000 by 2050.

“Climate-related disasters are rapidly increasing,” said Sen. Lisa Cutter, Colorado Senate District 20. “In Colorado, wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity, and extreme temperatures are putting workers and other vulnerable people at risk. We must begin building resiliency.”

“All workers deserve access to water, shade, and safety at their workplace, and to be able to come home safely to their families after their shift. We are seeing a changing climate from breaking records on the hottest days to the coldest temperatures, and working people are the most impacted. Colorado must step after worker protections continue to be rolled back at the federal level,” said Rep. Elizabeth Velasco of House District 57.

A number of important climate bills are expected at this year’s legislative session. Over 60 organizations and hundreds of people took part in Colorado Climate Disasters Awareness Week Jan. 26–30, sending letters to their legislators, submitting letters to the editors of their local papers, posting their stories on social media, and sharing their stories in the Colorado Climate Disasters Photo and Art Exhibit that bore witness to passersby in the West Foyer of the Colorado State Capitol this week. Participating groups include 350 Colorado, Black Parents United Foundation, Clean Energy Action, Climate Reality Project Metro Denver, Climate Reality Project Northern Colorado, Colorado Jewish Climate Action, Colorado Rising for Communities, Extreme Weather Survivors, Good Trouble Climate Network, Healthy Air and Water Colorado, Mi Familia En Accion, Moms Clean Air Force Colorado, Mountain Mamas, Physicians for Social Responsibility Colorado, Resilient Denver, Save the Aurora Reservoir, Sierra Club Colorado, Sunrise Movement Denver, Third Act Colorado, Together Colorado, Womxn from the Mountain, and the 55 member groups of the Colorado Coalition for a Livable Climate.

Watch the press conference via 350 Colorado’s Facebook Page here.