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Boulder Hazard Mitigation Plan Introduction in Boulder County will be impacted by the earlier snow melt, 5%-20% reduction in snowpack, and 30% reduction in stream flow that is projected for the state as a whole by the end of the century (WWA 2018). Figure 1-4 Colorado Statewide Annual Temperature 1900-2012 4 3 oti 2 3 a I d v 0 1 E -I -2 -3 -4 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 i980 1990 2000 2010 Source: NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Social Equity Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants and low-income people, known as frontline communities, have intentionally been made more vulnerable to the impacts of natural hazards and climate change due to decades of prejudice policies and practices, inequitable power distribution and withholding of assets and resources. Institutionalized racism, theft of land and water rights, and class bias began with colonization of the United States and have been foundational pillars that continue to create deep divisions within the country. Unjust systems have created higher levels of poverty and limited access to jobs, resources, transportation, and education for frontline communities. Prior to colonization by White Europeans in the 15th century, the lands occupied by the United States were home to many Indigenous Tribes and intricate and productive ecosystems that were intertwined with human livelihoods. Despite the rich history of Native Americans, they have also been subject to intense violence, persecution, and swindling at the hands of White colonizers, which has resulted in massive disparities in income, land and home ownership in addition to inequities in basic public health, bodily safety, and civil rights. Much of the current land possession within the United States, state boundaries, city plans, housing developments, and land rights are implicitly records of White supremacy and that preserve the assets and historical records of White populations at the expense of the rights of native peoples. Native Americans are now one of the populations most vulnerable to climate change due to higher exposure to hazard impacts and lower adaptive capacity due to historical and current disenfranchisement. Over the period of colonization in the United States, Tribes have been forcibly restricted to lands with limited resources and struggled to have rights of ownership recognized by state and federal governments. The impacts of this on communities are exacerbated by climate change as sovereign lands of many Tribes are becoming increasingly dry, and the scant water rights afforded to Indigenous Americans are insufficient for their needs.