![]() ![]() Las Vegas ranks 12th in a list of the most polluted cities in the US for ozone, according to the American Lung Association. The construction equipment itself is expected to add to emissions as the county continues to grow. Both of these sectors are slated to increase as more homes and businesses are built and rising numbers of residents hit the roads. The next biggest share at 37% was attributed to transportation. Nearly half of the county’s emissions are from energy used to power buildings and industry. In 2019, Clark county generated more greenhouse gas emissions than the city of Los Angeles - which is home to roughly 1.7 million more people - according to a new report issued by the county in February. The sustainability work has had a positive impact, but there’s still a long way to go. Most indoor drains in southern Nevada filter directly back into the reservoir. And, though water levels have drastically declined - and are expected to keep dropping - the region predominantly relies on recycling. Already, the city has added 450 miles of bike lanes, switched 52,000 streetlights to LED lighting, and public buildings, parks, and traffic lights are powered by renewable energy, Radke said.Ĭlark county, which adopted a new sustainability and climate action plan in 2021, aims to reduce emissions 100% by 2050. ![]() “We are one of the best-kept secrets in the world when it comes to sustainability,” said Jace Radke, a senior public information officer with the city of Las Vegas, listing off achievements. Over half a million people are expected to move to southern Nevada in the next 15 years, spurring a wave of new construction. Las Vegas leaders are making promises and setting ambitious sustainability goals. ![]() Instead of curbing growth, the city known for excess is betting that it can conserve its way out of a climate catastrophe. Temperatures are going to keep climbing - and people are going to keep coming. The issues are exacerbated by heat, which will be driven higher by both the climate crisis and the building boom. The county is also grappling with a quickly waning water supply and intense air pollution that’s affecting the most vulnerable. And the future will get hotter, drier and more turbulent, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a consortium of climate scientists from around the world, warned in its most recent report. The city is warming faster than anywhere else in the US. In 2020, the Clark county coroner counted 124 heat-related deaths. By July, 12 people lost their lives to the heat. Thousands of unhoused residents, outdoor workers and communities that couldn’t afford the rising costs of air conditioning bore the brunt. Concrete cooked during the day, spitting out heat long after the sun set. Last year temperatures hit 116F (46.6C) in June, setting a new record for such dangerously hot weather so early in the year. To accommodate them, the region’s arid landscape is being converted into strip malls and shopping centers as winding cul de sacs creep closer to the rocky hillsides.īut balancing growth and climate change has posed a formidable challenge. Attracted by the lure of cheaper costs of living, lower taxes, and newly built homes, more than half a million people are expected to flock to southern Nevada in just the next 15 years. ![]()
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