Southwest Climate Change Initiative
In the Four Corners states of the southwestern United States—Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah—climate change is already changing ecosystems and affecting people in ways that are measurable and readily apparent. In fact, this arid region has been identified as a bellwether of climate change in North America due to recent ecological changes—uncharacteristically large and severe fires, widespread insect outbreaks, forest dieback, and other signs of ecological degradation—that are associated with changing temperature, precipitation and stream flow regimes.
Community Values at Risk
This suite of ecological changes threatens ecosystem services such as water supply and flood control and natural resource-based industries including farming, ranching, nature tourism and outdoor recreation, resulting in estimated annual losses of billions of dollars per year. The damage, both physical and fiscal, is widespread. Farmers, ranchers, the tourism and recreational industries all suffer. Climate change makes the quality of life, economic stability and safety of southwest residents vulnerable.
In recent years, fires have charred more forestland with increasing frequency due to climate change. In 2011, Arizona and New Mexico suffered the largest fires on record. The voracious flames hardly pose the only danger. In the aftermath of these dramatic events, monsoon rains wash ash and sediment into streams, rivers and reservoirs, threatening the water supply.
Natural Solutions at Work
The Santa Fe Water Source Protection Fund prepares city residents for climate change by managing wildfire risk, securing water supplies and conserving nature in an integrated fashion. Public grants support watershed restoration activities that reduce the risk of climate-driven catastrophic wildfire and subsequent disruption of the city’s water-supply infrastructure, including reservoirs, water treatment plants, and conveyances. Now larger municipalities like Denver are developing similar programs as a way to protect their water supplies.
From Science to Action
The Southwest Climate Change Initiative, led by The Nature Conservancy, is a public-private partnership developed in 2009 with the University of Arizona Climate Assessment for the Southwest, Wildlife Conservation Society, National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Western Water Assessment. The initiative’s goal is to provide information and tools to build resilience in ecosystems and communities of the southwestern U.S.
Regional Assessment Report
Managing Changing Landscapes in the Southwestern United States: This regional assessment examines the impacts of temperature change from 1951-2006 on natural resources in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. It documents that warming has already affected habitats, watersheds, and species in the Southwest, by influencing the timing of seasonal events or amplifying the impacts of natural disturbances such as wildfire and drought. The report concludes that to begin adapting to climate change, natural resource managers should reevaluate the effectiveness of current restoration tools, modify resource objectives, learn from climate-smart adaptive management and monitoring, and share information across boundaries.
More Background: SWCCI Fact Sheet & SWCCI Poster
Find more about SWCCI's process
Published
- Climate Change Adaptation for People and Nature: A Case Study from the U.S. Southwest. Advances in Climate Change Research, www.climatechange.cn, March 2012. Download the paper
Presentations
- Responding to Climate Change in the Southwestern U.S., Assessing vulnerability, building resilience, by Patrick McCarthy Presentation document & Narrative presentation notes
- Climate Assessment and Adaptation for Ecosystems of the Colorado River Basin, by Patrick McCarthy at the National Climate Assessment Workshop, June 6, 2011. Presentation document & Narrative presentation notes
Reports
- Wallow Fire Fuel Treatment Effectiveness On the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Download report
Stories and Media
- Book Offers Glimpse of Climate Transformation Underway in U.S. Southwest, Planet Change, January 18, 2012. Book review here
- Forest Thinning in Arizona Wildfires likely saved many homes and dollars, Planet Change, Marcos Robles, July 8, 2011 Article here
- Working on Solutions to New Mexico's Changing Climate, Planet Change, Matt Barrett, July 5, 2011 Blog post
- Wildfire and drought – A different flavor of what we already manage, Southwest Climate Change Network, Marcos Robles, February 14, 2011 Blog post
- Heat, drought and wildfires in the Southwest, Patrick McCarthy, Sept. 3, 2010 Blog post
- Cowgirl Conservation, TNC Magazine, December 2010 Download article
Other SWCCI Sites
Page Updated: May 8, 2012
