Climate Change

We are in uncharted territory in Earth’s climate crisis, as ocean temperatures and atmospheric CO2 levels are at recorded all-time highs. For Nevada, future temperature increases will likely decrease waterflow in the Colorado and other rivers, decrease mountain snowpacks, increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires and drought, and decrease the productivity of ranches and farms.

Thankfully, upon taking office, President Biden immediately put the U.S. back into the Paris Climate Agreement, whose goal is to have nations take climate-change actions to limit global-temperature rise by 1.5 C by 2100. Moreover, his administration launched the American Climate Corp to train young people in clean energy, conservation, and climate-resilience skills (e.g., flood or drought mitigation, rainwater management) to tackle the climate crisis.

Roughly $3.5 billion in funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Biden (2021) is headed to Nevada for water infrastructure, clean-energy technology and power, climate-resilient infrastructure (e.g. power grids, bridges), and clean-energy public transit and school buses. These investments will help Nevada achieve the goal of Senate Bill 448 of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and should be part of climate adaptation and carbon management programs of cities to help protect citizens from adverse climate-change impacts.

Recently Donald Trump asked top oil executives to raise $1 billion to return him to the White House in exchange for immediately reversing dozens of President Biden’s environmental policies and for stopping new ones. We cannot go backwards; our future depends upon it.

Joe Holomuzki, Carson City Nevada.

Published in Nevada Appeal on 29 May 2024