{"id":119,"date":"2026-05-11T18:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T18:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=119"},"modified":"2026-05-11T18:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T18:05:02","slug":"an-overwhelming-percentage-of-coloradans-say-climate-change-is-harming-human-health-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=119","title":{"rendered":"An overwhelming percentage of Coloradans say climate change is harming human health"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Even after a drought-denting snowstorm across much of Colorado last week, here are some sobering numbers amid our unseasonably warm, historically dry year:<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=118\">At least 13 people died on Colorado ski slopes in 2025-26<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>81.7: The percentage of Coloradans who say that the changing climate impacts people\u2019s health.<\/li>\n<li>37.7: The percentage of Coloradans who say their own health or a family member\u2019s health was impacted by climate change within the previous year.<\/li>\n<li>1.5 million: The number of people that 37.7% represents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The figures come courtesy of new survey data from the Colorado Health Institute, a nonpartisan health policy research organization.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor so long,\u201d Joe Hanel, CHI\u2019s communications director, said, \u201cwe\u2019ve been talking about climate change as a big problem that\u2019s on the horizon. What these results tell me is that climate change is a big problem that\u2019s here right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Colorado Health Institute pulled the numbers from its every-other-year Colorado Health Access Survey. That\u2019s the same survey widely used to track changes in how many people are without health insurance in Colorado. But it also asks a lot of broad questions about health and healthcare, and a few years ago CHI began including questions about climate change. The responses help inform CHI\u2019s Acclimate Colorado project to prepare communities for the impacts of a changing climate.<\/p>\n<p>In keeping with that, the new report provides a road map for understanding where and what kind of climate-related public health efforts are needed.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, the most commonly reported health issues due to climate are respiratory illnesses or breathing problems, with 26.8% of respondents saying they or a family member experienced them. Second, at 9.9%, are mental health or substance use issues \u2014 highlighting the toll that climate anxiety is taking on some Coloradans.<\/p>\n<p>Of the 6% of people who said they didn\u2019t know that climate change could impact health, a disproportionate number spoke a language other than English at home, which shows the importance of having information on climate available in multiple languages, said Lindsey Whittington, CHI\u2019s data and analysis manager. It also shows the importance of public health authorities working closely with individual communities to ensure messaging that resonates with those communities\u2019 members.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=116\">Colorado\u2019s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s where it really happens meaningfully, where you\u2019re making those local relationships,\u201d Whittington said.<\/p>\n<p>The report also zooms in on the 12.3% of people who say they don\u2019t believe the climate is changing or that it can impact health. Those folks are more likely to be male, to be middle-aged, to be middle-income, or to live in a rural area, according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>Whittington said the goal of looking more deeply at this group isn\u2019t to try to turn them into climate change converts but to find areas where people across the spectrum can work together. Someone may not believe in human-caused global warming while still being concerned about how climate changes are impacting the water supply, the agricultural system or the snowpack, Whittington said.<\/p>\n<p>Whittington said the emphasis should be on \u201cthe way that it is spoken about and the way you make it relevant to people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hanel highlighted another facet: Even among men, among rural residents or among middle-aged individuals, people in Colorado who don\u2019t believe in climate change account for no more than 18% in any specific group. That refutes the notion that the public is closely divided on climate change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere really isn\u2019t much of a controversy among Coloradans about whether the climate is changing or whether it affects health,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=115\">Colorado released from federal corrective action after improving SNAP program<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Colorado Health Institute poll found that a strong majority of Coloradans believe climate change is real and is harming human health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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