New Mexico is one of the fastest warming states in the nation, with the number of days classified as dangerous due to heat expected to double by 2050.
Las Cruces experienced five weeks of extreme heat during the summer of 2020. Historic temperatures included nine days over 105 degrees, something State Climatologist David DuBois says is evidence of a larger trend.
“The last 30 years, we've seen a climb in temperature,” DuBois said. “It's a small climb, but it's sort of that continuous. Every year, we see a shift in warmer temperatures. There are natural cycles that are going on, like El Niño and La Niña where we see up and down trends, but there's this long-term warming that's underlying all of that.”
The rising temperature is just one reason Las Cruces has adopted a Climate Action Plan with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 19% by 2030. City Sustainability Officer Lisa LaRocque says the community must also do its part.
“Realize that together, commercial and residential buildings contribute about 38, almost 40% of our carbon emissions for Las Cruces,” LaRocque said. “And we want to reduce carbon emissions through energy efficiency and encouraging the use of clean energy through our utilities or other sources. And it's important for the city to have strong energy efficiency codes and other regulations, that lessen the burden for the low- and moderate-income communities, especially who are hardest hit.”
LaRocque also says transportation, the biggest polluter, will be a top priority.
“Half of the Las Cruces carbon emissions come from the vehicles we use to drive around the city,” LaRocque said. “And our system benefits those cars and in it, it benefits people who have cars and limits opportunities for those without them. Yet, we all pay for road improvements and suffer from air pollution. So, to address this, we want to create mobile hubs where people have access to public transit, electric bikes and walking trails. We want to develop compact communities that have all the services we need in walking distance, and for those who need cars we want to encourage the use of electric vehicles.”
Las Cruces City Councilor Gill Sorg, who strongly supports the city’s transition to clean energy, recently spoke to KRWG about efforts to replace city-owned gasoline vehicles with electric ones.
“We have five buses on order now,” Sorg said. “My goal here is when we need to replace a vehicle and there's one available on the market at a price that is within reason, a gasoline powered vehicle, we convert to electric vehicles then.”
State Climatologist David DuBois says the goals outlined by the city are attainable. But he says residents without access to a cool location in the summer must get help.
“There’s quite a few people who have problems with extreme heat, and it seems like there's a growing number of people who it actually affects their life,” DuBois said. “And so I think, that is one thing that we need to follow up on... We need to be thinking about those things like that right away, like right now, like planning for the summer.”
One-way LaRocque is hoping to combat extreme heat is by addressing the amount of asphalt and lack of trees. This can cause so-called “heat islands,” parts of the city that can get up to 15 degrees hotter than other areas.
“Those surfaces absorb the heat and radiate it out. And this heat continues to radiate out throughout the day and even in the evening,” LaRocque said. “We need to be more deliberate about adding cool surfaces like lighter pavement or porous surfaces where water can soak through and an increased number of trees. This could make living conditions much more comfortable.”
Above all, LaRocque emphasized the importance of adapting in a changing climate, underscoring her excitement for continued city efforts.
“We've learned a lot about how to make a safer and more equitable place to live, where our practices won't have a negative impact on the environment, or vulnerable people, and where our economy can still thrive,” LaRocque said. “This is really an exciting time to look and imagine what we can do without being wasteful, without being so polluting, and with being more harmonious in our planet…I can't wait to see how it unfolds.”
