Climate Solutions

Increased drought, reduced snowpack, and widespread wildfires are fundamentally changing the landscape of outdoor recreation as we know it.

This week, the federal government officially started a process to overhaul the rules governing a crucial river in the Southwest that provides 40 million people with drinking water. The Colorado River’s current rules are set to expire in 2026 and conservationists want a drastic change.

Elementary school teachers from across New Mexico can now apply for a program that aims to help kids understand the effects of climate change and promote real-world solutions.

On the heels of extreme weather events, like New Mexico’s devastating 2022 fire season, lawmakers are aiming to establish a public health program and climate resiliency fund to address health related issues in rural communities. This week, that bill has cleared its first hurdle in the Roundhouse.

New rules recently implemented by the state aimed at reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry are being challenged by an industry group. Environmental organizations are now stepping in to stop that appeal, claiming it would harm communities of color across the state.

The push away from fossil fuels and towards electric vehicles and home appliances is a challenge for rural New Mexico, which lacks the basic infrastructure and cash for these innovations.

Environmental organizations from all over the country are gathering in New York to celebrate the state’s annual Climate Week event alongside the United Nations General Assembly. One of them––the U.S. Climate Alliance––is made up of states committed to addressing climate change. It released a report showing New Mexico and the 23 other states under its umbrella are polluting less and saving more energy.

Over the past year, the University of New Mexico was awarded $1 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation to explore community resilience to natural disasters. So, scientists, PhD candidates, professors, and high school students decided to take this money and develop low-cost sensors to monitor post-wildfire flooding on pueblo land.

Late August through September marks a familiar time for most New Mexicans — green chile roasting season. But this treasured tradition has a cost: New Mexican pepper roasters emit greenhouse gasses on par with driving 1700 cars for a year. Now, scientists are exploring ways to reduce these emissions. KUNM’s Morning Edition host Bryce Dix spoke with Kenneth Armijo, an engineer at Sandia National Laboratories about how he’s using solar power to roast chile.

Scientists often point to large-scale solar power as a big solution to our climate crisis.But, these energy projects do come with a cost––the damage and even destruction of our public lands and wildlife.