Nevada experienced its warmest August on record, while the Southwest’s daytime temperatures averaged nearly 6 degrees above normal.
El Niño and unusually warm oceans contributed—but scientists emphasize that these conditions are unfolding against a hotter baseline created by human-caused climate change.
And hotter temperatures do more than make summer uncomfortable.
- Warmer air pulls moisture from Nevada’s soil and vegetation.
- Water evaporates faster, placing greater pressure on rivers and reservoirs.
- Drier landscapes increase wildfire danger.
- Parched soil may be unable to absorb sudden rain, increasing flash-flood risks.
- Families face higher cooling bills and greater danger when housing lacks reliable air conditioning.
Climate change is not only a creation-care issue. It is also a housing, health, water, energy and economic-justice issue.
The people most affected are often those with the fewest resources to adapt: older adults, children, outdoor workers, unhoused neighbors, people with chronic illnesses and families already struggling to pay their utility bills.
Nevada needs policies that:
- Protect residents from utility shutoffs during extreme heat
- Establish safe indoor-temperature standards for rental housing
- Expand accessible cooling centers and urban shade
- Strengthen protections for outdoor workers
- Improve wildfire, flood and emergency-alert systems
- Require major industrial developments—including data centers—to account for their water, electricity and climate impacts
- Continue Nevada’s transition toward cleaner, affordable energy
Record-breaking heat is becoming less exceptional. Our public policies must catch up with our changing climate.
Caring for creation means caring for the people who bear the greatest burden when our climate changes.
Seek Justice. Show Love.
