This story is republished from NM Political Report, a nonprofit news outlet, as a part of our commitment to bringing you the best in independent news coverage that matters to Albuquerque.
By Hannah Grover, NM Political Report
Thanks to climate change, the Albuquerque of the future may feel a bit more like present-day Roswell. That’s according to a new web app developed by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science that helps people envision what their city might feel like in 2080.
The developers used a scenario in which climate change leads to about 9 degrees Fahrenheit of global warming and another scenario leading to about 3 degrees Fahrenheit of warming based on emissions levels.
If emissions are reduced, Albuquerque may feel a bit more like present-day Placitas in 2080.
The app allows people to search more than 40,000 locations and 5,000 metro areas.
If emissions are reduced, Roswell’s future climate may resemble that of present-day Loving, but if emissions remain high, the climate in Roswell in 2080 could be more like that of present-day South Tucson, Arizona.
According to the app, Las Cruces may feel a bit more like Arizona City, Arizona under the higher emissions scenario and Alamogordo may feel a bit like Pima, Arizona. If emissions are reduced, Las Cruces’ future climate may be similar to that of present-day Juarez, Mexico, and Alamogordo’s may feel like present-day La Luz.
Like Albuquerque, Santa Fe’s climate may also become more similar to Roswell’s under the higher emissions scenario. If emissions are reduced, Santa Fe’s climate in 2080 may be similar to that of present-day San Felipe Pueblo.
Farmington under a higher emissions scenario may have a climate similar to Washington, Utah and, under the lower emissions scenario, Farmington’s climate could resemble Moab’s.