Utah

Global climate change poses risks to human health and to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Important economic resources such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and water resources also may be affected. Warmer temperatures, more severe droughts and floods, and sea level rise could have a wide range of impacts. All these stresses can add to existing stresses on resources caused by other influences such as population growth, land-use changes, and pollution.

Climate Change in Utah

Below are some of the potential impacts:

• Over the last century, the average temperature in Logan, Utah, has increased 1.4°F, and precipitation has increased by up to 20% in many parts of the state. These past trends may or may not continue into the future. The amount of precipitation on extreme wet or snowy days in winter is likely to increase.
• By 2100 temperatures in Utah could increase by 3-4°F in spring and fall (with a range of 1-6°F), and by 5-6°F in winter and summer (with a range of 2-10°F). Precipitation is estimated to decrease by 10% in summer (with a range of -5 to -20%), to increase by 10% in spring (with a range of 5-20%), to increase by 30% in fall (with a range of 10-50%), and to increase by 40% in winter (with a range of 20-70%).
• The frequency of extreme hot days in summer would increase because of the general warming trend. It is not clear how the severity of storms might be affected, although an increase in the frequency and intensity of winter storms is possible.
• Climate change could increase concentrations of ground-level ozone. For example, high temperatures, strong sunlight, and stable air masses tend to increase urban ozone levels. Currently, the Salt Lake City area is classified as a “moderate” nonattainment area for ozone. Warming could worsen air quality further. Ground-level ozone is associated with respiratory illnesses such as asthma, reduced lung function, and respiratory inflammation.
• In 1993, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome emerged in Utah, and the deer mice that are the primary reservoir for the hantaviruses are prevalent in Utah. Long droughts punctuated by heavy rains can decrease the predators (owls, snakes, and coyotes) of rodents, and the heavy rains can provide the rodents with added food supplies (grasshoppers and piñon nuts).
• In a warmer climate, earlier and more rapid snowmelt, heavier rains, and the possibility of more rain could all contribute to flooding, particularly in the winter and spring. Densely populated urban areas in the Wasatch Front are susceptible to spring melt floods, and high lake levels around Utah and Great Salt lakes have caused considerable damage to farmland, wildlife habitats, industries, transportation routes, recreation facilities, and residential areas. Increased and more intense rains also could increase landslides and mudslides in the state’s mountainous regions, as well as pollution in runoff from urban and mining areas.
• In Utah, production agriculture is an $800 million annual industry, three-fourths of which comes from livestock, mainly cattle. About 80% of the farmed acres are irrigated. The major crops in the state are wheat, barley, and hay. Climate change could significantly affect agricultural production, for example, reducing wheat yields by 10-30% as temperatures rise beyond the tolerance level of the crop. Irrigated barley, hay, and pasture yields, however, could rise by about 7%; unirrigated yields of those crops could rise by 3% or fall by 9%, depending on how climate changes. One model estimates that agricultural production of grain and forage crops could decline 5-30%. Increases in climate variability could make adaptation by farmers more difficult.

The above are based on from the Environmental Protection Agency's report on climate change, which uses data from the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2001).

For more info on climate change impacts on Utah in areas such as water resources, agriculture, forests and ecosystems, you can download pdf of full EPA Report.

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

Utah is the highest emitter of C02 of all 50 states and the most populous.

See all rankings

Maps

See CO2 output by sector, coastal population maps, and maps of regional initiatives.

Regional Initiatives

In the absence of federal action, many U.S. states are banding together to explore and employ greenhouse gas-reducing policies.

Utah participates in the following:

Western Governors' Association (WGA): Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative

Learn about climate initiatives in all U.S. states and regions

Your Impact

Estimate your CO2 footprint by using a carbon calculator such as the one on the Inconvenient Truth web site.

How green is your energy? The EPA has a power profiler that can tell you.