Climate Change: Perspectives from Nevada
In 2020, more than 1,500 Nevadans commented on climate change and the environment in a statewide survey. We've captured their stories here.
In 2020, more than 1,500 Nevadans commented on climate change and the environment in a statewide survey. We've captured their stories here.
Survey conducted by the Public Communication Initiative within the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Greenspun College of Urban Affairs
As a life-long Nevadan I've personally seen the ecosystems change dramatically over the last 30 years. Lakes and reservoir levels fluctuate dramatically, devastating wildfires are becoming more common each summer allowing invasive species to destroy our natural ecosystem. Reno and Las Vegas are both among the fastest warming cities in the United States. (Washoe)
The data to the right shows how many Nevadans expressed concern for each of the given climate change topics. They were unlimited in how many topics of concern they could choose.
Across the state, Nevadans are concerned by a number of issues related to climate change. As you can see in the diagram to the right, more than half of Nevadans are concerned about fundamental impacts to health and the environment, including:
Drought Wildfire Air Quality Extreme Heat Environmental Harm Pollution Water Quality Extreme Weather Food Security Public Health
Though a majority of Nevada's revenue comes from sales, gaming, tourism and entertainment taxes, economic recovery and tourism concerns less than half of Nevadans in the context of climate change.
Climate impacts on outdoor recreation also concern less than half of Nevadans who took the survey.
This opinion represents a significant portion of Nevadans in some rural counties, and a minority in urban counties.
To gauge priorities, respondents were asked to rank their top three concerns out of the fourteen. The data to the right compares most pressing concerns for urban and rural parts of Nevada, and there is a lot of overlap in what they care most and least about.
Drought (42.7%) Wildfires (26.6%) Environment (26.3%) Air quality (24.5%) Extreme Heat (22.4%)
As you can see in the table to the right, urban and rural counties in Nevada share some common ground in their top concerns. Both rank drought as their top concern, and the majority of the top seven concerns are shared. Urban and rural counties also share outdoor recreation and tourism as their lowest ranked concerns.
There are also a few notable differences between urban and rural populations. For example, urban counties are more concerned by extreme heat, ranking it in their top five concerns while rural counties rank extreme heat tenth. Unique to rural counties is a quarter of rural respondents who are not concerned by climate impacts at all, while a slim number share this view in denser populated counties.
Nevada, like other states in the Western United States, is comprised of mostly federally owned land. Being the seventh largest state by land area, this means only two areas in the state are considered urban for the purpose of this study - the Reno and Carson City area in the north-western part of the state, and Las Vegas in the south. However, fourteen other counties are home to thousands of other Nevadans, as well as Indigenous peoples, who experience unique socio-ecological perspectives.
This study considers three of the seventeen counties in Nevada as "urban" due to their denser populations (year 2020). Carson City county is paired with Washoe county as an urban area.
Clark (Las Vegas) (pop. 2,265,469) Washoe (Reno) (pop. 486,489) Carson City (pop. 58,644)
The remaining fourteen counties in Nevada are considered "rural" due to their relatively lower population density.
Lyon (pop. 59,235) Elko (pop. 53,702) Nye (pop. 51,591) Douglas (pop. 49,488) Churchill (pop. 25,516) Humboldt (pop. 17,285) White Pine (pop. 9,080) Pershing (pop. 6,650) Lander (pop. 5,734) Mineral (pop. 4,554) Lincoln (pop. 4,499) Storey (pop. 4,104) Eureka (pop. 1,855) Esmeralda (pop. 729)
Though Nevadans share common ground on important issues, not every region shares the same climate priorities. Nevada is the seventh largest U.S. state by land area. Much of the state is rural, including Lincoln and Churchill counties, while Clark and Washoe comprise Nevada's largest cities, Las Vegas and Reno. Ecologically, the state ranges from the snowy Sierra Nevada forests to the high and low deserts in much of the rest of the state.
We accounted for these differences and considered what Nevadans care about from each of its 17 counties.
Browse the map below to explore perspectives and priorities from your county.
Among all Nevada counties, ideas for what should be done about climate concerns are generally shared despite urban and rural geographical difference
Most commonly, Nevadans suggest solutions related to:
Technology (renewable energy, efficiency advancements) Pollution control (clean air, land, and water) Transportation (electric vehicles, improved public transportation) Urban development (city planning, efficient housing, equity)
Technology – 39.6% of responses Pollution – 26.6% of responses Transportation – tied at 19.7% of responses Urban Development – tied at 19.7% of responses
Technology – 28.9% of responses Do nothing – 25.8% of responses Pollution – tied at 17.5% of responses Urban Development – tied at 17.5% of responses
Nevadans also suggested the following strategies for addressing climate change:
Taxes, fines, penalties Incentives and investments Protecting water resources Protecting environment and ecosystems Economic approaches Education and awareness
Pass regulations on polluters and greenhouse gas producers, incentivize non- fossil fuel energy production, re-establish limits on contaminants in our water supplies, and fund training for jobs in the clean energy sector. (Carson City)
I believe it’s not right to weigh the issue of climate change against economic health, because without a healthy planet, there is no economy. We need a new economic model that values sustainability over growth. (Washoe)
A majority of Nevadans agree that the State of Nevada is responsible for providing and facilitating solutions to climate change concerns.
But for many, responsibility, both for the problems and solutions, falls not only on the State but on adjacent states, industry, federal government, and individuals in Nevada and globally.
The State should set the goals and leave the decision of how to implement the goals to the counties. (Carson City)
[We need] Alliance with Western states and aggressive legal action where necessary to prevent Federal government from destroying Nevada. (Carson City)
Those least responsible will suffer the most impact, because they won't have the resources to mitigate the effects of climate change. (Washoe)
Many Nevadans echo a sentiment that climate action is either too late, it needs to happen now, or that repercussions of inaction are coming soon.
These concerns for timely responses to climate change tend to show that some feel taking action will make a difference, while others experience fatalism, or a feeling of inevitability and that climate impacts will happen whether we take action or not.
I believe there is very little time, if any time at all, to slow down the heating of the planet. (Nye)
I understand that the State likely wants to make this transition at a reasonable pace for the economy, but our planet is in a very tedious tipping point, and we need to be making changes at a faster pace. (Clark)
Climate change is a global issue with localized implications, and a local issue with global implications. The scale of climate and environmental problems, and the actions to solve them, are relevant to Nevadans.
Some suggest individualized actions while others emphasize the importance of inter-state and country collaboration.
Actually, I'm not as worried about local effects, I'm more concerned with the melting polar caps, the destruction of both land and sea habitats, and the bleaching coral reefs, which will all disappear if steps are not taken immediately. (Clark)
The timeline, scale, and ability to act on climate change can cause a range of feelings.
Hope and Hopelessness Anxiety and Overwhelm Fear Anger Frustration
I want to take a huge breath of air outside and not feel anxious about it. I want to drive around the city and soak in the beauty, not the trash. I want to see my people taken care of. (Clark)
I feel very disturbed by the lack of concern and willingness to change, even from intelligent, educated humans. If something doesn't happen soon, and in a big way, I do believe my grandson and granddaughter will live in a world that is not fit for most people to live in. (Washoe)
Approximately 8% of survey respondents thought that Nevada should "do nothing" regarding climate change. Reasons varied from concerns about the accuracy and interpretation of climate science, the inability for action to make a reasonable dent, beliefs that other states (such as California) or the federal government should take the lead, or concerns that the environment was displacing other priorities like economics or education. Some feel its simply impossible that efforts will make a difference anyway, especially without global collaboration. These beliefs were not proportionate across the state; 6.2% of urban respondents but 25.7% of rural respondents selected "do nothing."
Climate change being a hoax or farce were present, albeit only a fraction of skeptic arguments compared with resistance for these other reasons.
I am skeptical about the positive impact a lot of these policy solutions will have on the lives of regular Nevadans who are concerned about they are going to support themselves and their families. (Elko)
Fix our economy first, fix DETR first, get kids quality IN PERSON education this year. [No one should] put climate issues above these way more important matters. (Clark)
"They feel irreversible. They are also most likely out of our hands. Whatever the United States does, without cooperation from China, India, and Russia, all our efforts will be for naught." (Clark)
"There is nothing we can do about climate change." (Clark)
Many who took the survey wanted to know more about what they can do to get involved in combatting climate change issues. They also care about educating the youth about realistic actions, and communicating about shared values across partisan political divides to solve shared problems.
More [public] awareness of what is needed by us, what is being done and show progress. Use tv, radio, mailers, websites, etc. to get data in front of everyone. (Washoe)
In addition to focusing on green energy and reducing carbon emissions, I think Nevada and all states would benefit from a robust PR campaign explaining the WHYS behind the need to address climate change. Unfortunately, like many things these days, climate has become a partisan issue. (Carson City)
I feel more should be done to educate youth of these issues. More of a voice at the high school and college university levels would be ideal. Ultimately it is our children that will be dealing with the consequences so they need to be part of the solution now. (Clark)
In 2020, more than 1,500 Nevadans shared what they think about climate change through the first ever large-scale survey gathering opinions on climate change in the state, as part of the State of Nevada Climate Initiative.
The data captured here includes descriptive statistics and open-ended survey responses that, together, give researchers and policy-makers a chance to hear not only what Nevadan's care about, but why it matters to them and how it feels to grapple with climate change as an embedded part of contemporary life.
The survey was available to all Nevadans. We asked, for example, how concerned they are about climate change, what types of issues concern them most, and what Nevada should do to address them. Importantly, we asked why these issues matter to them.
We hope that this survey, along with other relevant research and initiatives in these topic areas, will help illuminate some of the unique perspectives of Nevadans within the global concern of anthropogenic climate change, incorporating the human experience into our scientific understandings.
Scroll or read through the demographic data for more information about who took the survey.
Survey-takers were of diverse ages, with more women and white individuals. Liberal political affiliations outnumbered conservatives, however, a large number identified as moderate, independent, or preferred not to answer. About half have children and are married. A large majority are registered voters and have had some college education. Half of respondents don't identify with a religion, however, about one-fifth identify as Christians, followed by a small representation from other religious faiths. A large majority of respondents are from urban counties within the state, which is to be expected since more people live in those areas. The only counties not represented in the data are Eureka and Esmeralda, the two least-populated counties in the state with less than 2,000 residents combined.
My view is that we are all connected and have impacts. If we address the most fundamental of human needs, the economic benefits will naturally follow. People want to be where they thrive emotionally and physically. (Washoe)