89.9 FM Live From The University Of New Mexico
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Report says climate change will slam state economy

Courtesy U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Climate change is a threat to New Mexico’s natural environment and a new study argues that makes it a serious economic threat as well.

Tourism, the creative arts, agriculture, ranching, and the dairy industry all stand to lose millions of dollars, according to Demos, the public policy group that published “New Mexico’s Rising Economic Risks from Climate Change.” The report is authored by Robert Repetto, author of the 2011 book, "America’s Climate Problem: The Way Forward." He is a senior fellow in the United Nations Foundation’s climate and energy program.

The study states the cost of responding to climate change in New Mexico will double by 2040 to $ 3.3 billion  annually. New Mexico faces a growing depletion of its water supplies due to lower precipitation levels, increased temperatures, less snowpack and annual runoffs. Almost no sector will remain unscathed.

Tourism, one of the largest industries in the state, will see shorter ski seasons. Fly fishing will suffer due to warmer rivers and lakes and ash from forest fires. And as birds winter in more northern climes, many birdwatchers who travel here from other states will go elsewhere, the study predicts.

Agriculture will likely suffer the biggest impacts, with  losses of $73 million annually by 2020 to the agricultural and ranching sectors. Weeds and parasites are more likely to thrive with milder winters and hotter summers. Growing seasons will be longer. But that also means greater water demands. Ironically, because more rain will come via heavy storms, spring floods will become more frequent. That will send more water to reservoirs earlier in the year and decrease amounts available for hydropower and irrigation on.

The study recommends capping greenhouse gas production by energy companies. And it notes that New Mexico has an unmatched opportunity to pursue renewable energy and link it to natural gas development through combined-cycle gas turbine plants. This week the Department of Energy awarded $3.8 million to the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, and its industry collaborators to develop a gas turbine combustor for a concentrating solar power hybrid gas turbine system.

The full report from Demos is online.

Megan has been a journalist for 25 years and worked at business weeklies in San Antonio, New Orleans and Albuquerque. She first came to KUNM as a phone volunteer on the pledge drive in 2005. That led to volunteering on Women’s Focus, Weekend Edition and the Global Music Show. She was then hired as Morning Edition host in 2015, then the All Things Considered host in 2018. Megan was hired as News Director in 2021.