Spotlight on Lakewood's Climate Risks

What is climate risk?

Climate risk is how much danger or harm something or someone might face because of climate change. It is made up of three important parts:

1. Hazard: This means the climate-related events that could cause harm, like storms, floods, droughts, or heatwaves. These are the events that can happen because of changing weather patterns.

2. Exposure: This refers to whether people, infrastructure, animals, or the environment are in places where these dangerous climate events can happen. For example, if you live near the coast, you might be exposed to floods or rising sea levels.

3. Vulnerability: This is about how likely it is that people, infrastructure, animals, or the environment will be harmed when those dangerous events happen. Some places or people are more vulnerable because they have fewer resources to protect themselves, like homes and structures that can withstand floods or infrastructure systems that provide clean water during a drought.

Climate risk is the combination of these three things: the chance of a dangerous climate event happening (hazard), whether you're in the way of it (exposure), and how easily you can be harmed by it (vulnerability). By understanding these three parts, we can better prepare and protect ourselves from climate change.

What climate hazards are more likely to affect Lakewood and how?

Lakewood will be most affected by extreme heat, extreme cold, hailstorms, flooding, wildfires and drought. It is likely that we will see an increase in the risk of having adverse consequences that endanger people, structures, economic activities and natural areas, as a result of these climate-related events.

Impacts for some hazards can be very localized, such as flooding, extreme heat and wildfire. Identifying priority risk areas in relation to these hazards is key to effective adaptation action.

Flooding risks could affect property owners, tenants, pedestrians, as well as access to services, including transportation. Much of the flood risk is already known, especially in areas like northeast Lakewood, where major transportation corridors face heightened risk.

Heat risks include potential health impacts due to limited access to cooling, which can result from energy disruptions or a reluctance or inability to use air conditioning because of energy costs. Those with underlying medical conditions are particularly vulnerable.

Wildfire risks involve damage or total loss of homes, particularly in areas like Bear Creek or Green Mountain near the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), power outages from utility shutdowns, and health risks from smoke exposure for vulnerable populations.

Drought risks include reduced water availability for agriculture, human consumption, and other activities, which can be exacerbated by prolonged dry conditions.

Hail and extreme cold pose risks across wider areas. These include health concerns for outdoor workers, residents who are unhoused, pedestrians, and cyclists, as well as potential damage to properties, such as farm equipment, facilities, and homes without hail-resistant roofing.

Our community can work together to build a more resilient city. Resiliency 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 and structure. For instance, planting street trees and installing green roofs can increase the resilience of a building by helping mitigate extreme heat. These and other potential climate actions are being identified through this study.

Help us understand how climate risks affect you by completing the Climate Action Questionnaire, and you will be entered into the drawing for a $50 grocery gift card. Don't miss this opportunity to share your opinion and make a difference in Lakewood!