Oct. 11—It was warmer-than-usual at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta this year, and environmental advocates warned about the connection to climate change.
Conservation Voters of New Mexico and Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter released a press memo shortly before the start of Balloon Fiesta outlining how record heat impacts the event and state overall.
New Mexico’s average temperatures are projected to increase 5-7 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 50 years, according to the organizations, and the 2024 Balloon Fiesta may have been the warmest Fiesta so far.
In addition to regular balloon operations being affected by the heat, CVNM and Sierra Club said the heat could even impact Albuquerque’s well-known box weather pattern. Losing that pattern could impact tourism and revenue in the future, the organizations surmised.
The Balloon Fiesta itself is powered by ExxonMobil, the largest energy company in the U.S. The environmental groups pointed to the oil and gas industry’s climate pollution contributions to climate change.
“New Mexico must continue to take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gasses,” the press memo wrote.
CVNM and Sierra Club recognized in the memo that Balloon Fiesta requires fossil fuels like propane. While propane burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, it still requires extraction, according to the organizations.
“The Fiesta is also part of New Mexico tradition and culture,” the memo read. “New Mexico must act urgently to reduce our total emissions in order to protect traditions like the Balloon Fiesta for future generations.”
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