LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Today, Governor Sisolak and Assemblywoman Nguyen joined the Nevada Conservation League, outdoor recreation leaders, artists, and youth activists to urge federal leaders to pass transformative climate legislation that invests in the health of our planet and develops a 21st-century, clean energy economy. A video of this event can be found here.
Extreme heat, raging wildfires, and severe drought threaten communities across Nevada and signal to our leaders the need for significant climate investments. Today’s collective call for action demonstrates the individual responsibility we all share to protect our communities from further climate devastation and promise a healthier future for our youth.
Governor Steve Sisolak said:
“I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished in Nevada together so far, but we can and we must do more across all sectors and levels of government. Climate change doesn’t just impact some of us – it impacts all of us. We owe it to the next generation to reduce our emissions and take action that will protect our communities and our natural resources from climate change. And this is going to take all of us. I am proud to be a partner in this important work.”
This week, Governor Sisolak joined a multi-state letter to President Biden highlighting the costs of climate inaction and the urgency to accelerate clean energy investments to address the climate crisis and help lower energy costs.
Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen said:
“Communities of color and low-wealth communities are hit first and worst by climate pollution and suffer severe health and economic impacts as a result. As we celebrate both Earth Month and Minority Health Month, I’m proud to join climate leaders and community members to urge our federal leaders to take bold steps to speed up our transition to clean, renewable energy that will improve the health of Nevadans while centering communities far too often left behind.”
Nevada Conservation League Communications Director Angelyn Tabalba said:
“Nevada is at the frontlines of the climate crisis. From record-breaking temperatures, raging wildfires that scorched the West, to historic droughts, we know now is the time to act. The climate crisis is threatening our communities, and we must protect Nevadans from dangerous extreme weather events and the peril posed now and in the future. Today, we’re demanding Congress pass comprehensive climate legislation to build an affordable clean energy economy that creates jobs, cuts pollution, protects our health, and advances environmental justice.”
Native Voters Alliance of Nevada Taylor Patterson said:
“As the original stewards of our lands, Indigenous communities have cared for our environment, preserving lands and protecting wildlife for thousands of years. Today, Tribes continue to safeguard our environment and are ever more critical in the fight against the climate crisis. While we speak today about ways we must invest in our planet, let us not forget the inclusion of Indigenous voices while we chart a better path forward for our earth.”
Chispa Nevada Program Director Rudy Zamora said:
“Federal funding being made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help bring zero-emission school buses, transit buses, and other forms of public transit to the low-income communities of color who most desperately need to breathe cleaner air. Nevada and the White House can work together to truly invest in climate justice for our communities. We look forward to being part of those efforts.”
Get Outdoors Nevada Director of Special Projects Aaron Liefheit said:
“Outdoor recreation allows us to preserve our natural resources and connect with our state’s natural wonders — an opportunity that should be available to all communities. Nevada’s outdoor industry is also an economic driver for our state, supporting nearly 60,000 jobs in the state and contributing more than $5.5 billion per year in statewide economic activity. The overlapping climate and economic crises make protecting our public lands and ensuring equitable access to green spaces important as ever.”
Gen Z for Green and Clark High School Student Sarah Park said:
“My generation continues to see the climate crisis unfold, clouding our vision of a future where we can enjoy the outdoors. Young people are agents of change. One day, we will carry the torch and inherit the responsibility of making decisions to better protect our environment — but we need to make sure there will be a planet to protect.”
Local Artist Gui Lemes said:
“I’m proud to have partnered with environmental advocates, who share my vision for protection of our earth, to bring a mural to life that calls for climate action and climate justice. The beautiful mural behind us today connects the ways in which we can honor our environment while uplifting our community’s urgent call for leaders to address the climate crisis, create jobs, and build a future that centers people who are too often left behind in the solutions that will transform Nevada for the better.”
Community leaders called for bold action with a new climate mural as their backdrop. The wall mural, painted by Las Vegas based, Brazilian artist Guilherme Lemes, brings together the his passion for art and connection to nature. The mural can be found in Downtown Las Vegas on the corner of First St. and Coolidge.
Environmental champions across the country, including Nevada’s own Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Senator Jacky Rosen, voted to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which authorizes up to $108 billion for public transportation – the largest federal investment in public transportation in the nation’s history. Nevada will receive $38 million over five years from these funds, to build out electric-vehicle charging networks. Investing in a clean energy future is a step in building a better future for our planet and our communities. While the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill was a great first step, there is still more to be done. Nevada Conservation League urges federal leaders to pass the $550 billion in climate provisions, meeting the climate test, and acting on climate, justice, and jobs for our communities.
The call to action comes on the heels of a sobering report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that makes clear extreme climate events are already disrupting communities and harming ecosystems around the globe. There are opportunities for climate adaptation, but as the report points out, governments must implement transformative adaptation measures within the next decade, alongside rapid emissions reductions, in order to protect our families and communities.