Climate Change: News & Research (32)
Protected: Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (Transboundary US Counties)
Summary: Wildfire Costs, New Development, and Rising Temperatures
This summary highlights the major research Headwaters Economics has conducted concerning controlling fire suppression costs, state case studies, and the growth of homes in the WUI.
Green Jobs Metrics
This research summary offers an overview of efforts to quantify the national green economy in terms of job creation from several perspectives.
Clean Energy Transmission
Headwaters Economics is working new transmission infrastructure issues from the perspective of regional economic development, and issues most relevant to local and state decision makers.
Preparing Missoula County for a Changing Climate
Report on socioeconomic conditions of Missoula County as part of public process of developing a climate change adaptation plan.
Implementing Climate Change Adaptation: Lessons Learned From Ten Examples
This paper presents ten examples of cities and counties around the country and the key lessons learned in the process of moving from planning to implementation on climate change adaptation.
Oregon Home Building, Higher Temperatures Drive Price Tag Ever Higher
This Headwaters Economics study analyzes the impact of housing and climate on the costs of fighting forest fires in national forests of Oregon.
Northern California, Homes, and Cost of Wildfires
This Headwaters Economics study analyzes the impact of housing and climate on the costs of fighting forest fires in the twelve national forests of the Sierra Nevada.
Missoula County Homes at Risk in Flood and Wildfire Areas
These two slideshows use Missoula County and Western Montana to show how many homes have been built in flood and wildfire hazard areas, which are vulnerable to larger and more frequent floods and fires.
New West: “Why Fighting Rocky Mountain Wildfires Will Become More Expensive”
In the news: …The inability of land managers to allow wildfires to burn out naturally in Colorado is not surprising. Amongst the states in the Rocky Mountain West, Colorado has the largest portion of developed forested private land bordering public wildlands -- 21 percent -- according to independent nonprofit research group Headwaters Economics. New Mexico ranks second to Colorado in terms of wildland-urban interface development, with 17 percent of its interface area occupied by housing. Nine percent of Montana's wildland-urban interface is developed, while Wyoming is least developed at just four percent…
In a detailed analysis of daily fire suppression costs for 18 large fires in Montana during 2006 and 2007, Rasker found that when it was 1 degree warmer on average during summer the cost of protecting homes from fire doubled…
In a 2009 report, Rasker identifies 10 possible solutions to curb the federal costs of fighting fires on the wildland-urban interface in the West. These include limiting development with local zoning ordinances and cutting federal firefighting budgets in order to shift more of the cost of wildland firefighting to local governments.
"We're not telling people that they shouldn't live where they want," said Rasker. "What we're saying is that the cost accountability simply isn't there right now."…
@headecon