Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Study

What is the “Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Study”?

• This is a Lakewood-specific assessment and analysis to improve our understanding of the anticipated impacts of climate change and how those will affect our city and our capacity to cope with those anticipated impacts.

What is the purpose of this project?

• The 2021 Jefferson County Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) identified areas with high social vulnerability concentrated in the northeast part of Lakewood. To find out why, an implementation strategy was included in the HMP to further explore those social vulnerabilities and how people are being affected by hazards in those areas. This analysis will also model changing climate conditions to find out how the hazards we already experience could be impacted in the future.

How will the results of the study be used?

• The study results will be combined into a final Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Report, along with a preliminary overview of mitigation and adaptation strategies that could make the community more resilient. The report will help to inform and prioritize city policy related to hazard mitigation and identify additional areas of study for further exploration. It will inform current and upcoming planning efforts such as the Comprehensive Plan and the next Hazard Mitigation Plan update.

What climate hazards are most likely to affect Lakewood?

• In the short-term (until 2040), Lakewood will be most affected by:
  1. Hailstorms
  2. Extreme Heat
  3. Extreme Cold
• Additional threats are expected to emerge with higher frequency or intensity in the mid-long term (2041-2100):
  1. Flooding
  2. Wildfire
  3. Drought

What factors result in a higher or lower climate risk?

• Climate risk results from the interaction of hazard, vulnerability and exposure. It is the combination of having a climate event that can cause damage (hazard), how likely a person, community or organization is to experience that hazard (exposure), and how well-equipped they are to withstand a climate event (vulnerability).
• Not all locations or assets will experience hazards in the same way or to the same extent.

What do the climate risks mean for Lakewood?

• It means that we can see an increase in the risk of having adverse consequences that endanger people, structures, economic activities and natural areas as a result of climate-related events. Some potential examples:
  1. Increase in mortality due to heat waves.
  2. Decrease in water availability for agriculture, human consumption and other activities, due to a drought.
  3. More frequent power outages and disrupted transportation networks and supply chain due to storm or flood events.

What can we do to reduce climate risks?

• Our community can work together to build a more resilient city. Resilience is the capacity of a system to cope with change. Resilience may involve responding to hazardous events or proactively reorganizing systems in ways that allow them to maintain their essential function, identity, and structure. For instance, planting trees along streets and installing green roofs can increase the resilience of a building by helping mitigate extreme heat.

The Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Study is a Lakewood-specific assessment and analysis to improve our understanding about the anticipated impacts of climate change and how those will affect our city and our capacity to cope with those anticipated impacts.

The first phase of the study will focus on climate risks related to known hazards, such as drought, extreme temperatures, floods, hailstorms, and wildfires. The analysis will include the city’s greenhouse gas inventories, modeling impacts based on likely emissions scenarios, and the identification and evaluation of climate risks, particularly in socially vulnerable areas of Lakewood.

The second phase of the study will focus on social vulnerability, including the collection of demographic data and community engagement focused on socially vulnerable groups and neighborhoods in order to better understand the current and anticipated climate risks that they face. Often, the climate impacts fall disproportionately on the most underserved or marginalized people in a community. The adverse effects of climate change intersect with other social vulnerabilities such as income, age, and health, leaving those with the highest social vulnerability most in danger of short-term and long-lasting impacts. It is important that the potential dangers of climate change and its impacts are fully understood.

The data collected in both phases will be analyzed and combined into a unified and cohesive Climate Hazard & Social Vulnerability Report by the end of 2024. In addition to identifying risks and vulnerabilities, this report will include a preliminary overview of potential strategies to mitigate hazards in Lakewood, providing guidance in effective and equitable hazard-mitigation projects. The report will help to inform and prioritize Lakewood's policy related to hazard mitigation and to identify additional areas of study for further exploration. The results will inform climate and sustainability reporting; supplement the city’s current Comprehensive Plan update; and guide future sustainability, climate action, and strategic planning efforts, such as the next Jefferson County Hazard Mitigation Plan (planned for 2025-2026).