Colorado Leaders Omit Climate Change from Colorado River Crisis Discussions at Water Congress
During the annual summer conference of the Colorado Water Congress in Steamboat Springs, elected officials from both sides of the aisle, including Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and GOP U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, largely omitted human-caused climate change from their discussions on the Colorado River crisis. Despite three days of speeches on water policy, focusing on collaboration, innovation, storage, diversion projects, conservation measures, and drought-resistant crops, the predominant reason for the worsening situation—rising global temperatures—was not mentioned. This 'climate hushing' occurred even as hydrologists and climatologists increasingly attribute the West's water woes to human emissions rather than natural variability. The Colorado River's cumulative flow is at a record low, leading to an impending high-stakes court battle among the seven states dependent on its water. 
