Clark County Goes “All-In” on Climate Action
Eco-anxiety is a common feeling these days, often manifesting in people as dread, despair, nervousness, and many other things. With news about Clark County’s increasing temperatures, Lake Mead levels dropping, poor air quality, and more, it’s easy to feel paralyzed by bad news. That’s why climate optimists in Clark County have come together to develop the All-In Clark County initiative!
So what does it mean to be a climate optimist? Meet Olivia Burns. She’s one of Southern Nevada’s climate optimists on the frontlines of Clark County’s action plan in response to climate change: All-In Clark County. This countywide initiative is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2050 and ensure a resilient future for all residents. Burns was hired by Kim Lundgren Associates, a small, woman-owned benefit corporation that partnered with Clark County to design and implement equitable climate action solutions in the community.
“Being a climate optimist means focusing on solutions and values,” she said. “We can only solve the climate crisis by addressing the inequitable distribution of resources such as clean air, water, food, education, and housing.”
Sam Baker, the Clark County sustainability program administrator, is also determined to create a more resilient future in Southern Nevada. After moving to Las Vegas from South Florida, she has worked tirelessly on the community plan for one and a half years.
“It’s really the first time the region has attempted to tackle climate change this way,” she said. “[…] my vision includes all of Clark County being leaders in sustainability and climate change planning.”
For Burns, she envisions “a renewable energy grid, diverse green jobs, waste management, efficient transportation options, improved water quality, and a livable climate.”
The Foundation for All-In Clark County
Work on the All-In Community Plan started in early 2021 after the Clark County Board of Commissioners approved government operations plans, prioritizing sustainable practices within county operations. For example, single-use plastics were eliminated at all County events, and all lighting in County buildings has been upgraded to LEDs.
Green House Gas Emissions Inventory
The community plan uses the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and the Climate Vulnerability Assessment as its foundation. In 2019, Clark County joined the County Climate Coalition and committed to upholding the Paris Agreement. Since the community plan does not regulate emissions, it is not affected by Supreme Court cases like Virginia v. EPA, which gives states the right to determine how much emissions they regulate. While this case can be seen as a setback in Nevada’s fight against climate change, the EPA still has other climate actions in the works, like emissions limits on cars and methane from the oil and gas industry.
At the county level, The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory breaks down the amount of GHG emitted across Clark County in 2019: 29,299,795 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. To visualize, imagine that’s the same amount of CO2 as burning a trainload of coal from Las Vegas to Cleveland. Most of that energy use comes from electricity and heating homes, and the second largest contributor is transportation and gasoline use.
The Climate Vulnerability Assessment
The Climate Vulnerability Assessment is another foundational document laying out the most significant environmental hazards that Clark County residents face. These hazards are expected to continue, so mitigating their effects is imperative. The four main hazards are extreme heat, drought, flooding, and wildfires. Las Vegas is the fastest-warming city in the nation, and we are in the middle of a megadrought with Lake Mead at its lowest point in history. Both flash floods and wildfires are expected to increase, and as wildfires increase in the West, we are expected to have more bad air-quality days.
Although the threats are serious, there are positive changes on the horizon. Burns stated that “[…] Clark County community is growing and constantly changing […] the technologies, policies, and programs available to support climate action are always advancing.”
The Community Sustainability and Climate Action Plan
The plan outlines climate resilience strategies in six categories: clean and reliable energy, connected and equitable mobility, diverse and circular economy, sustainable water systems, resilient and healthy communities, and smart buildings and development.
One key area of the plan is clean and reliable energy, especially with energy consumption being the highest greenhouse gas emitter. Clark County’s goal is to ensure that all community members have access to affordable clean energy, and will build a resilient grid that delivers clean energy to support current and future demand. This is already in motion with infrastructure like rooftop solar panels, and there has been a 7% decrease in energy use statewide, even while the population has grown 18% between 2005-2015.
Sustainable water systems tackle one of the biggest concerns of Clark County residents: do we have enough water? Nevada is the driest state in the United States, with only four in. of annual rainfall, but Clark County has already taken great strides in water conservation. This is mainly because of our indoor water recycling programs, where all indoor water is treated at wastewater facilities and recycled back into Lake Mead, as well as SNWA’s water-smart landscape initiatives. By the end of 2026, all nonfunctional grass will be converted to water-smart landscaping with drought-tolerant plants.
For Burns, a “diverse and circular economy,” which encompasses waste management and preparing students and the workforce for green jobs, is an area of personal interest. Her first steps into the sustainability world were in reducing waste after working at a grocery store and seeing the amount of food waste that retail stores generate.
“[…] that is where my sustainability journey started,” she said. “[…] I am passionate about reducing waste because humans are the only parts of nature that create waste, so it is our responsibility to manage it properly. When waste, particularly organic waste, decomposes in a landfill, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is more potent and stays in the atmosphere longer than carbon dioxide […] my favorite action in this focus area is to implement a countywide curbside pick-up program for organic material and food waste.”
Some other areas of the community plan include supporting infrastructure for more electric vehicles, protection against flash flooding and extreme heat, and ensuring that new construction is powered by hydro and solar energy.
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Who is Involved?
Clark County’s Most Vulnerable Communities
The people most affected by climate change are the people who contribute the least to it, such as low-income communities in urban heat islands where temperatures are hotter than the rest of the city because of concrete and lack of shade. Clark County aims to be equitable and transparent with all communities. According to Burns, the All-In survey responses allowed members of marginalized communities to share their voices alongside the region’s experts in energy, water, public health, and more.
After receiving 6,000+ survey responses from people across Clark County and collaborating with community partners from 157 agencies and organizations, the first draft of the community plan is complete. Burns stated that the survey “exceeded engagement targets with some groups, including Black, Native American, and Pacific Islander communities.”
All-In Clark County Partners
Some of All-In’s key partners include the SNWA, RTC, Regional Flood Central District, and the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Boulder City. Other partners who participated in designing the Climate Action Plan include MGM Resorts, NV Energy, Bureau of Land Management, Las Vegas NAACP, the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, Inter-tribal Council of Southern NV, Native Voters Alliance, and more.
Indigenous Communities
When it comes to how Indigenous communities are represented in the plan, Baker explains,
“The tribal groups have been involved in the planning process throughout. We have consulted them on several issues, including equity, priorities, and resources needed. Currently, we do not have specific plans to partner with them. However, we are working through implementation steps for our actions that identify certain groups that need to be involved. We expect a number of actions where a partnership with the tribal community is necessary […] we will do our best to ensure that all communities are uplifted by our plan.”
Southern Nevada Residents
Furthermore, the County reached 220,000 residents in Southern Nevada during the plan’s development, and residents and stakeholders were involved in every step of the process to assess the needs and priorities of the region.
#GetinMotion with All-In Clark County!
The All-In Community Plan was open for public comments until January 27th. Everyone living in Clark County was welcome to review the plan and share their feedback. For those unsure about what the County is looking for, Burns explained, “Public comments are most helpful when they identify conditions that could prevent or slow down implementation (barriers) and solutions to these challenges (opportunities).”
After all the public comments are collected and reviewed, the plan is expected to be officially adopted by March 2023.
The plan’s timelines are different depending on which department, agency, or nonprofit can lead the program and how supporters can collaborate. One example in the “diverse and circular economy” section is that the County’s goal is to divert 720,000 tons of organic waste from our landfill by 2030. Clark County intends to utilize grant and federal funding to achieve goals like this and others in the action plan.
To stay updated and get involved, people can utilize Clark County’s community toolkit and follow the Department of Environment & Sustainability on social media like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. People can also subscribe to their mailing list for updates.
“Our community will only be able to secure a livable and sustainable future if climate action is aggressively and collaboratively implemented,” Burns said. “[…] The most rewarding part about working on All-In is implementing solutions across many sectors through education and collaboration […] the successes of many efforts relies on individuals, businesses, and whole industries to act quickly.”
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