Nevada community action

Climate change in Nevada has been measured over the last century, with the average temperature in Elko, Nevada increasing by 0.6 °F (0.33 °C), and precipitation increasing by up to 20% in many parts of the state. These past trends may or may not continue into the future.

Over the course of the 21st century, experts suggest that climate in Nevada may change even more. Based on projections made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and results from the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research climate model (HadCM2), a model that accounts for both greenhouse gases and aerosols, by 2100, temperatures in Nevada could increase by 3-4 °F (1.7-2.2 °C) in spring and fall (with a range of 1-6 °F [0.5-3.3 °C]), and by 5-6 °F (2.8-3.3 °C) in winter and summer (with a range of 2-10 °F [1.1-5.6 °C]). Precipitation is estimated to decrease in summer by 10% (with a range of -5% to -20%), to increase by 15% in spring, to increase by about 30% in fall, and to increase by about 40% in winter. Other climate models may show different results, especially regarding estimated changes in precipitation. The effects described in the sections that follow take into account estimates from different models. The amount of precipitation received on extremely wet or snowy days in winter is likely to increase. The frequency of extremely hot days in summer would increase. It is not clear how the severity of storms might be affected, although an increase in the frequency and intensity of winter storms is possible.

The sustained streamflow in Nevada largely results from spring and summer snowmelt in the mountains.

Earlier and more rapid snowmelts could contribute to winter and spring flooding, and more intense summer storms could increase the likelihood of flash floods. Although Nevada is extremely dry, intense rains can produce torrents of water and debris. Residential and industrial developments on valley floors and near the foothills are especially vulnerable during flash floods.

Due to concerns about climate change in the wake of a 2002 drought, daily water consumption in Las Vegas has been reduced from 314 gallons per resident in 2003 to around 205 gallons. Despite these conservation efforts, local water consumption remains 30 percent more than in Los Angeles, and over three times that of San Francisco metropolitan area residents. The Southern Nevada Water Authority is building a $1.4 billion tunnel and pumping station to bring water from Lake Mead, which "would allow the city to continue taking water even after the generators and pumps in the Hoover Dam stop operating and California, Arizona and Mexico, which is also entitled to the tail end of the Colorado’s water, are completely cut off."

In Nevada, production agriculture is a $300 million annual industry, two-thirds of which comes from livestock, mainly cattle. Almost all of the farmed acres are irrigated. The major crops are hay and potatoes. Climate change could affect crop production, reducing potato yields by about 12%, with hay and pasture yields increasing by about 7%. Farmed acres could rise by 9% or fall by 9%, depending on how climate changes. Livestock production may not be affected, unless summer temperatures rise significantly and conditions become significantly drier. Under these conditions, livestock tend to gain less weight and pasture yields decline, limiting forage.

With changes in climate, the extent of forested areas in Nevada could change little or decline by as much as 15-30%. The uncertainties depend on many factors, including whether soils becomedrier and, if so, how much drier. Hotter, drier weather could increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires, threatening both property and forests. Drier conditions would reduce therange and health of ponderosa and lodgepole pine forests in the northern and western areas of the state, and increase their susceptibility to fire. Grasslands, rangeland, and desert could expand into previously forested areas. Milder winters could increase the likelihood of insect outbreaks and of subsequent wildfires in the dead fuel left after such an outbreak. Thesechanges would significantly affect the character of Nevada forests and the activities that depend on them. Increased rainfall could reduce the severity of these effects.

The region's inherently variable and unpredictable hydrological and climatic systems could become even more variable with changes in climate, putting stress on wetland ecosystems. The streams and rivers in Nevada are entirely spring-fed or derived from runoff from the mountains. A warmer climate would increase evaporation and shorten the snow season in the mountains, resulting in earlier spring runoff and reduced summer streamflow. This would exacerbate fire risk in the late summer. These threats, coupled with increasing human demands on water resources, could severely reduce the number and quality of wetland habitats, which are already stressed and ephemeral. This would degrade habitat essential for migrating and breeding birds, and could further stress rare and endangered fish species. Many desert-adapted plants and animals already live near their tolerance limits, and could disappear under the hotter conditions predicted under global warming.

• Sierra Club
• Sierra Nevada Alliance
• Plug-in electric vehicles in Nevada

• Climate Change and Nevada, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2011

• Gonzalez, P.; G.M. Garfin; D.D. Breshears; K.M. Brooks; H.E. Brown; E.H. Elias; A. Gunasekara; N. Huntly; J.K. Maldonado; N.J. Mantua; H.G. Margolis; S. McAfee; B.R. Middleton; B.H. Udall (2018). "Southwest". In Reidmiller, D.R.; C.W. Avery; D.R. Easterling; K.E. Kunkel; K.L.M. Lewis; T.K. Maycock; B.C. Stewart (eds.). Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II (Report). Washington, DC, USA: U.S. Global Change Research Program. pp. 1101–1184. doi:10.7930/NCA4.2018.CH25. -- this chapter of the National Climate Assessment covers Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah

Climate change in Nevada has been measured over the last century, with the average temperature in Elko, Nevada increasing by 0.6 °F (0.33 °C), and precipitation increasing by up to 20% in many parts of the state. These past trends may or may not continue into the future.

Over the course of the 21st century, experts suggest that climate in Nevada may change even more. Based on projections made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and results from the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research climate model (HadCM2), a model that accounts for both greenhouse gases and aerosols, by 2100, temperatures in Nevada could increase by 3-4 °F (1.7-2.2 °C) in spring and fall (with a range of 1-6 °F [0.5-3.3 °C]), and by 5-6 °F (2.8-3.3 °C) in winter and summer (with a range of 2-10 °F [1.1-5.6 °C]). Precipitation is estimated to decrease in summer by 10% (with a range of -5% to -20%), to increase by 15% in spring, to increase by about 30% in fall, and to increase by about 40% in winter. Other climate models may show different results, especially regarding estimated changes in precipitation. The effects described in the sections that follow take into account estimates from different models. The amount of precipitation received on extremely wet or snowy days in winter is likely to increase. The frequency of extremely hot days in summer would increase. It is not clear how the severity of storms might be affected, although an increase in the frequency and intensity of winter storms is possible.

The sustained streamflow in Nevada largely results from spring and summer snowmelt in the mountains.

Earlier and more rapid snowmelts could contribute to winter and spring flooding, and more intense summer storms could increase the likelihood of flash floods. Although Nevada is extremely dry, intense rains can produce torrents of water and debris. Residential and industrial developments on valley floors and near the foothills are especially vulnerable during flash floods.

Due to concerns about climate change in the wake of a 2002 drought, daily water consumption in Las Vegas has been reduced from 314 gallons per resident in 2003 to around 205 gallons. Despite these conservation efforts, local water consumption remains 30 percent more than in Los Angeles, and over three times that of San Francisco metropolitan area residents. The Southern Nevada Water Authority is building a $1.4 billion tunnel and pumping station to bring water from Lake Mead, which "would allow the city to continue taking water even after the generators and pumps in the Hoover Dam stop operating and California, Arizona and Mexico, which is also entitled to the tail end of the Colorado’s water, are completely cut off."

In Nevada, production agriculture is a $300 million annual industry, two-thirds of which comes from livestock, mainly cattle. Almost all of the farmed acres are irrigated. The major crops are hay and potatoes. Climate change could affect crop production, reducing potato yields by about 12%, with hay and pasture yields increasing by about 7%. Farmed acres could rise by 9% or fall by 9%, depending on how climate changes. Livestock production may not be affected, unless summer temperatures rise significantly and conditions become significantly drier. Under these conditions, livestock tend to gain less weight and pasture yields decline, limiting forage.

With changes in climate, the extent of forested areas in Nevada could change little or decline by as much as 15-30%. The uncertainties depend on many factors, including whether soils becomedrier and, if so, how much drier. Hotter, drier weather could increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires, threatening both property and forests. Drier conditions would reduce therange and health of ponderosa and lodgepole pine forests in the northern and western areas of the state, and increase their susceptibility to fire. Grasslands, rangeland, and desert could expand into previously forested areas. Milder winters could increase the likelihood of insect outbreaks and of subsequent wildfires in the dead fuel left after such an outbreak. Thesechanges would significantly affect the character of Nevada forests and the activities that depend on them. Increased rainfall could reduce the severity of these effects.

The region's inherently variable and unpredictable hydrological and climatic systems could become even more variable with changes in climate, putting stress on wetland ecosystems. The streams and rivers in Nevada are entirely spring-fed or derived from runoff from the mountains. A warmer climate would increase evaporation and shorten the snow season in the mountains, resulting in earlier spring runoff and reduced summer streamflow. This would exacerbate fire risk in the late summer. These threats, coupled with increasing human demands on water resources, could severely reduce the number and quality of wetland habitats, which are already stressed and ephemeral. This would degrade habitat essential for migrating and breeding birds, and could further stress rare and endangered fish species. Many desert-adapted plants and animals already live near their tolerance limits, and could disappear under the hotter conditions predicted under global warming.

• Sierra Club
• Sierra Nevada Alliance
• Plug-in electric vehicles in Nevada

• Climate Change and Nevada, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2011

• Gonzalez, P.; G.M. Garfin; D.D. Breshears; K.M. Brooks; H.E. Brown; E.H. Elias; A. Gunasekara; N. Huntly; J.K. Maldonado; N.J. Mantua; H.G. Margolis; S. McAfee; B.R. Middleton; B.H. Udall (2018). "Southwest". In Reidmiller, D.R.; C.W. Avery; D.R. Easterling; K.E. Kunkel; K.L.M. Lewis; T.K. Maycock; B.C. Stewart (eds.). Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II (Report). Washington, DC, USA: U.S. Global Change Research Program. pp. 1101–1184. doi:10.7930/NCA4.2018.CH25. -- this chapter of the National Climate Assessment covers Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah

The Sierra Nevada Alliance is a network of conservation groups encompassing 24 watersheds of the 650 kilometer-long Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada. Beginning in 1993, the Alliance protects and restores Sierra Nevada lands, watersheds, wildlife and communities.

The Sierra Nevada Alliance is a network of conservation groups encompassing 24 watersheds of the 650 kilometer-long Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada. Beginning in 1993, the Alliance protects and restores Sierra Nevada lands, watersheds, wildlife and communities.

The network's mission is to protect and restore Sierra Nevada natural resources for future generations while promoting sustainable communities. The Alliance follows five guidelines: 1) Sustainable natural ecosystems, 2) Strong local economies, 3) Broad-based public involvement and support, 4) Rational water use and 5) A solution to a problem cannot be to transfer the problem some place else. The Alliance plays a unique role in facilitating grassroots conservation groups' and watershed groups' involvement with government agencies, public utilities and local organizations.

Several programs work for regional protection and restoration of ecosystems and economies: Sierra Watersheds Program protecting critical habitats and restoring watershed health, Sierra Water and Climate Change Campaign by participating in local and statewide planning that adapts to climate change, Planning for the Future Campaign ensuring county use plans in Sierra counties adequately protect wild lands, natural communities with human population growth in light of climate change, establishment (2004) and support of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a nonregulatory state agency, and the Ski Area Environmental Scorecard, a ski area citizen's coalition encouraging ski areas in the 11 western states to model sustainable environmental policies and practices in light of global and local climate change, and Community Group Support to facilitate communication and uniform best management practices throughout the Sierra Nevada.

The organization has partnered with AmeriCorps since 2007 to place volunteers with environmental organizations.

A Conference of 80 or more conservation groups, collaborative watershed groups and land trusts is held annually. The Alliance is governed by a board of directors and the member groups. An Advisory Board of a diverse set of local, regional, statewide and national leaders provides collective wisdom.

• Sierra Nevada Alliance

Nevada ( nə-VAD-ə, -⁠VAH-, Spanish: [neˈβaða]) is a landlocked state in the Western region of the United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, the 32nd-most populous, and the 9th-least densely populated of the U.S. states. Nearly three-quarters of Nevada's people live in Clark County, which contains the Las Vegas–Paradise metropolitan area, including three of the state's four largest incorporated cities. Nevada's capital is Carson City. Las Vegas is the largest city in the state.

Climate change in Nevada has been measured over the last century, with the average temperature in Elko, Nevada increasing by 0.6 °F (0.33 °C), and precipitation increasing by up to 20% in many parts of the state. These past trends may or may not continue into the future.

Over the course of the 21st century, experts suggest that climate in Nevada may change even more. Based on projections made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and results from the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research climate model (HadCM2), a model that accounts for both greenhouse gases and aerosols, by 2100, temperatures in Nevada could increase by 3-4 °F (1.7-2.2 °C) in spring and fall (with a range of 1-6 °F [0.5-3.3 °C]), and by 5-6 °F (2.8-3.3 °C) in winter and summer (with a range of 2-10 °F [1.1-5.6 °C]). Precipitation is estimated to decrease in summer by 10% (with a range of -5% to -20%), to increase by 15% in spring, to increase by about 30% in fall, and to increase by about 40% in winter. Other climate models may show different results, especially regarding estimated changes in precipitation. The effects described in the sections that follow take into account estimates from different models. The amount of precipitation received on extremely wet or snowy days in winter is likely to increase. The frequency of extremely hot days in summer would increase. It is not clear how the severity of storms might be affected, although an increase in the frequency and intensity of winter storms is possible.

The sustained streamflow in Nevada largely results from spring and summer snowmelt in the mountains.

Earlier and more rapid snowmelts could contribute to winter and spring flooding, and more intense summer storms could increase the likelihood of flash floods. Although Nevada is extremely dry, intense rains can produce torrents of water and debris. Residential and industrial developments on valley floors and near the foothills are especially vulnerable during flash floods.

Due to concerns about climate change in the wake of a 2002 drought, daily water consumption in Las Vegas has been reduced from 314 gallons per resident in 2003 to around 205 gallons. Despite these conservation efforts, local water consumption remains 30 percent more than in Los Angeles, and over three times that of San Francisco metropolitan area residents. The Southern Nevada Water Authority is building a $1.4 billion tunnel and pumping station to bring water from Lake Mead, which "would allow the city to continue taking water even after the generators and pumps in the Hoover Dam stop operating and California, Arizona and Mexico, which is also entitled to the tail end of the Colorado’s water, are completely cut off."

In Nevada, production agriculture is a $300 million annual industry, two-thirds of which comes from livestock, mainly cattle. Almost all of the farmed acres are irrigated. The major crops are hay and potatoes. Climate change could affect crop production, reducing potato yields by about 12%, with hay and pasture yields increasing by about 7%. Farmed acres could rise by 9% or fall by 9%, depending on how climate changes. Livestock production may not be affected, unless summer temperatures rise significantly and conditions become significantly drier. Under these conditions, livestock tend to gain less weight and pasture yields decline, limiting forage.

With changes in climate, the extent of forested areas in Nevada could change little or decline by as much as 15-30%. The uncertainties depend on many factors, including whether soils becomedrier and, if so, how much drier. Hotter, drier weather could increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires, threatening both property and forests. Drier conditions would reduce therange and health of ponderosa and lodgepole pine forests in the northern and western areas of the state, and increase their susceptibility to fire. Grasslands, rangeland, and desert could expand into previously forested areas. Milder winters could increase the likelihood of insect outbreaks and of subsequent wildfires in the dead fuel left after such an outbreak. Thesechanges would significantly affect the character of Nevada forests and the activities that depend on them. Increased rainfall could reduce the severity of these effects.

The region's inherently variable and unpredictable hydrological and climatic systems could become even more variable with changes in climate, putting stress on wetland ecosystems. The streams and rivers in Nevada are entirely spring-fed or derived from runoff from the mountains. A warmer climate would increase evaporation and shorten the snow season in the mountains, resulting in earlier spring runoff and reduced summer streamflow. This would exacerbate fire risk in the late summer. These threats, coupled with increasing human demands on water resources, could severely reduce the number and quality of wetland habitats, which are already stressed and ephemeral. This would degrade habitat essential for migrating and breeding birds, and could further stress rare and endangered fish species. Many desert-adapted plants and animals already live near their tolerance limits, and could disappear under the hotter conditions predicted under global warming.

• Sierra Club
• Sierra Nevada Alliance
• Plug-in electric vehicles in Nevada

• Climate Change and Nevada, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2011

• Gonzalez, P.; G.M. Garfin; D.D. Breshears; K.M. Brooks; H.E. Brown; E.H. Elias; A. Gunasekara; N. Huntly; J.K. Maldonado; N.J. Mantua; H.G. Margolis; S. McAfee; B.R. Middleton; B.H. Udall (2018). "Southwest". In Reidmiller, D.R.; C.W. Avery; D.R. Easterling; K.E. Kunkel; K.L.M. Lewis; T.K. Maycock; B.C. Stewart (eds.). Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II (Report). Washington, DC, USA: U.S. Global Change Research Program. pp. 1101–1184. doi:10.7930/NCA4.2018.CH25. -- this chapter of the National Climate Assessment covers Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah

Solar power in Nevada is growing due to a Renewable Portfolio Standard which requires 50% renewable energy by 2030. The state has abundant open land areas and some of the best solar potential in the country.

Eagle Shadow Mountain Solar Farm is a planned 420 MW_p (300 MW_AC) photovoltaic power station north of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada on the Moapa River Indian Reservation.The facility is being developed by 8minutenergy Renewables and when completed will be the largest photovoltaic system on tribal lands in North America. It is also the largest component within NV Energy's current tranche of renewable energy projects that will create over 1 Gigawatt of new electricity supply.

The electricity generated will have a flat rate of $23.76 per megawatt-hour throughout its 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) term, which could establish a new record-low rate for a solar PPA contract.

The project is also part of NV Energy’s plans to retire a 254 MW coal-fired unit in a power-constrained region of Nevada at the end of 2021, four years ahead of schedule.

The U.S. state of Nevada has a quite limited potential capacity for onshore wind power generation, ranking 29th among the states. The NREL estimates that the potential for 7.2 GW of wind generation capacity exists in Nevada, which could generate 17,709 GW·h per year (roughly 60% of the state's electric demand).

As of 2016 Nevada has just 152 MW installed in one farm, the Spring Valley Wind project, which commenced operation in 2012. Wind power was responsible for 0.9% of in-state electricity produced in 2016.

Nevada ( nə-VAD-ə, -⁠VAH-, Spanish: [neˈβaða]) is a landlocked state in the Western region of the United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, the 32nd-most populous, and the 9th-least densely populated of the U.S. states. Nearly three-quarters of Nevada's people live in Clark County, which contains the Las Vegas–Paradise metropolitan area, including three of the state's four largest incorporated cities. Nevada's capital is Carson City. Las Vegas is the largest city in the state.