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Phoenix, Tucson projected to be among most at risk of climate change

Moody's Analytics finds which U.S. cities could face the biggest threats

Posted 2/23/23

When it comes to a warming world, Phoenix and Tucson face some of the biggest climate challenges, according to a new report out from Moody's Analytics.

The report, featured in an article by the …

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Environment

Phoenix, Tucson projected to be among most at risk of climate change

Moody's Analytics finds which U.S. cities could face the biggest threats

Posted

When it comes to a warming world, Phoenix and Tucson face some of the biggest climate challenges, according to a new report out from Moody's Analytics.

The report, featured in an article by the Washington Post, puts Phoenix at No. 6 and Tucson at No. 7 on the list of U.S. cities that would be most at risk from heat, drought and sea-level rise.

That two desert cities would join that list isn't a surprise, but the report puts them behind two California cities, two New York cities and a Florida municipality as the most at risk.

While neither Phoenix nor Tucson have to worry about sea-level rise, the cities made the list because they face the most risks from heat and drought.

The region currently is mired in a more than two decade drought that for has pushed water supplies to the forefront as for the first time there have been cutbacks on the Colorado River water serving California, Arizona and Nevada.

The Moody's report doesn't just look at the human toll of potential warming, but on the economic hit cities and states could take if mitigation measures aren't met. And it highlights the economic impact to gross domestic product in the move away from fossil fuels.

One of the biggest areas Arizona takes a hit is in future migration patters, which the study paints as more emigration from Arizona between 2044 and 2053 depending on certain scenarios. That puts the state in the same category as Florida, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

To look at the whole study, click here.