Officially, heat deaths are not very common in Colorado. The reality is more complicated.

The Colorado Sun reprinted climate-risk maps from CHI’s 2022 Health and Climate Index and interviewed Senior Policy Analyst Karam Ahmad for this story about the health dangers of heat and how Colorado can prepare for hotter summers.

The Sun used CHI's maps showing counties in Colorado most at risk from extreme heat and county rates of underlying health conditions that could be adversely affected by climate change.

The story credits CHI’s Acclimate Colorado initiative for taking a unique approach.

“One of the things that makes the CHI initiative unique is that it is not focused on trying to stop climate change from happening or to mitigate its effects. Instead, the organization made a conscious decision to think of climate change as a present-tense risk to health in Colorado, something that should be dealt with just like any other ongoing health crisis.” 

Read more about Acclimate Colorado.