The climate crisis is here. Without swift action, it will further threaten the health and livelihoods of Nevadans. Fortunately, Nevada’s leaders have recognized the urgency, passing a 50 percent renewable portfolio standard in 2019 and setting statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals of 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, 45 percent by 2030, and zero or near-zero emissions by 2050. However, data show that Nevada is not yet on track to meet these goals. The good news: Nevada can rise to meet our climate challenges if we act boldly.
The Sierra Club, GridLab, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Evolved Energy released a new report, Pathways and Policies to Achieve Nevada’s Climate Goals: An Emissions, Equity, and Economic Analysis, which offers specific policy recommendations to meet Nevada’s climate goals, while addressing the equity and air pollution with energy costs similar to or even lower than today’s.
We timed this report to inform the Sisolak Administration’s Nevada Climate Initiative, an effort to gather public and expert input on ways we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in every aspect of our lives, from transportation to land use, renewable energy to urban design and green buildings. In addition, the Sierra Club submitted these recommendations for policies and other solutions that can be implemented at state and local levels to mitigate the crisis.
The Sisolak Administration is expected to release a State Climate Strategy in December.
We celebrate and appreciate the Sisolak Administration’s commitment to charting a climate-resilient future for Nevada. Sierra Club's contributions provide a blueprint for climate action across every sector of our economy in Nevada. We look forward to working with leaders and federal, state, and local levels to make our communities more sustainable, clean our air, and chart a climate-resilient future.
Many of these solutions are necessarily ambitious. Strong public support will be necessary to overcome our past habits and business interests that are deeply invested in our current, polluting status quo. Success depends on you.