The last few summers in Colorado have been rough ones. Colorado has been suffering a long drought, leading to water shortages and a lot of wildfires in the last few years. Last summer in Fort Collins the fires were so bad people were struggling to breathe throughout the city, hundreds of homes were burnt down, and the community was devastated. Wildfires were also rampant In Colorado Springs last summer.

A very similar story can be told about this summer. The current wildfire in Black Forest has destroyed more homes than any other fire in history and has 0 percent containment at the time of this writing. Can things possibly get worse?

According to a study released by Environment Colorado, yes things can and will get a lot worse. The study analyzed 65 years worth of data on the weather in Colorado. The results from the study suggest extreme weather events are going to increase in Colorado by 25 percent. Climate change will lead to more drought and more extreme storms.

I am not a doomsayer. Our world is not doomed to forever burn in the eternal fires of Mordor (or more realistically, wildfires). However, we simply cannot continue in the same path or this will become our fate. We need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, decrease our carbon emission and work together to create a healthier planet.