A dangerous heat wave and possible record-breaking temperatures are headed toward Nevada and parts of the West later this week and a new report showed climate change could increase the frequency of such events.

The Climate Central report found human-caused climate change added an average of 26 days of extreme heat globally than there would have been otherwise.

Fredi Otto, co-lead of World Weather Attribution and senior lecturer in climate science at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, said it will continue to be more difficult to keep vulnerable communities safe.

"Overwhelmingly we are in the era of loss and damage," Otto pointed out. "Climate change is not something happening somewhere else, or sometime in the future, it is here and now."

Experts like Otto are calling on policymakers to take action as the deadly heat can take a serious toll on those who work outside. After failed legislative attempts, the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working on new requirements for businesses to implement their own rules to keep workers safe.

In Nevada last year, there were just under 350 heat complaints filed with OSHA, up from 210 the previous year.

Roop Singh, climate risk adviser for the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, considers heat waves a silent killer, unlike other types of natural disasters. While the Biden administration has invested billions of federal dollars to help lower energy costs for Americans, data show assistance only reaches a small portion of those who need the help during the hot summer months.

Singh said national legislation could help make a difference.

"Can we build those in? Can there be national legislation around building codes for keeping your homes cooler?" Singh urged. "Worker safety laws, especially for people who are working outdoors, can also be really helpful."

Singh noted other measures to reduce the impact of hotter days include making cooling needs part of the social safety net, as well as designing towns and cities with cool spaces in mind.

Just last year, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a measure to accomplish those goals in Clark and Washoe counties. He argued it would create red tape for developers.


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The latest Environmental Protection Agency data show over 11 million more people than in earlier estimates have the chemicals known as PFAS in their drinking water.

This brings the total number exposed to toxic so-called forever chemicals to more than 143 million nationwide.

Julia Finch, director of the Sierra Club's Kentucky Chapter, said she hopes the incoming Trump administration protects federal drinking water standards.

She noted that most states don't have state-level drinking water protections in place for PFAS, and are instead dependent on manufacturers' willingness to stop using the chemicals.

"We know that in Kentucky in particular, PFAS aren't regulated," said Finch. "So, we don't have a drinking water standard right now - but we know we have plenty of industrial and commercial users of PFAS that are eliminating the toxic chemicals."

The findings confirm the presence of PFAS compounds at more than 2,300 new locations nationwide.

They come from tests of the nation's drinking water supply conducted as part of the EPA's Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, which requires water utilities to test drinking water for 29 different PFAS compounds.

One 2020 study estimates more than 200 million Americans are exposed to PFAS in drinking water. Finch explained that Kentuckians can keep up on the issue as citizen-scientists.

"There's a way for folks to become involved, simply by sampling and testing water," said Finch. "We have a number of groups that will help to tap folks into that process, including Sierra Club."

Exposure to some types of PFAS chemicals have been linked to prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers, as wells as reduced immune system function, and reproductive issues in women - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In April of this year, the EPA classified two compounds - PFOA and PFOS - as hazardous substances. This prompted $9 billion in federal funding to eliminate them in water treatment facilities.

A new scorecard from the Center for Western Priorities points to Wyoming's success as a western state balancing conservation goals and economic growth but the state can still learn from its neighbors.

The 2024 scorecard looks at three categories: land protection and access, responsible energy development, and land use and planning for growth. Wyoming scored higher than neighboring states Montana, Utah and Idaho in land protection and access but scored low among its neighbors in the other categories.

Rachael Hamby, policy director at the center, said all the western states grapple with similar challenges and may find related solutions.

"This scorecard shows that it's possible -- and even to your advantage as a state -- to protect public lands, to steward natural resources, while growing and diversifying your economy," Hamby contended.

In pro-conservation legislation, Wyoming lawmakers this year formed an outdoor recreation and tourism trust fund and board and they blocked attempts to remove three-year tax exemptions for wind energy. According to the Center for Western Priorities, they also passed rules in continuing efforts to limit federal environmental regulations.

Hamby acknowledged while there is cause for concern regarding the precedent an incoming Trump administration may set, she stressed states have "a really important role to play."

"So many voters in all of these states so overwhelmingly support conservation and that's not lost on elected leaders," Hamby emphasized. "That's not going to just flip because there's a new administration in office."

The 2024 State of the Rockies survey showed for the first time in its 14 years of polling, a majority of Democrats, Independents and Republicans prioritize conservation over energy production.


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Nevada scored high for its well-funded conservation programs and for the state's commitment to public land protections.

A new report by The Center for Western Priorities evaluated eight Western states within three categories - land protection and access, responsible energy development, and land use and planning for growth.

The Center's Policy Director Rachael Hamby said Nevada has done a good job of becoming an "assertive leader" as it relates to public land protection and conservation - especially with 67% of the state being made up of public lands, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

She added that Nevada was also the first state Legislature to endorse the global 30X30 Initiative, which is a plan to conserve 30% of nature by 2030 - to avoid what Hamby called a "biodiversity crisis."

"They've made progress towards that goal too, opening a couple new state parks," said Hamby, "and again this is a state doesn't always have as much of a surface area to work with - and this shows that is OK. You can be a conservation leader with your state-level policies in place for the lands that you do manage on behalf of Nevadans."

Hamby said the Silver State has also taken action to protect wildlife, including what she calls a "strong habitat framework" that is a direct result of an executive order signed in 2021 by former Gov. Steve Sisolak.

Nevada also passed a bill in 2021 that requires developers to consult with the Department of Wildlife on their subdivision plans and assess how projects will impact wildlife connectivity.

Nevada didn't have a legislative session in 2024, but it will have one in 2025.

Hamby said despite Nevada being in a good spot, there are still areas for improvement, such as responsible energy development.

Despite Nevada not being a major oil-producing or natural-gas producing state, it currently has no statewide setback requirements for oil and gas wells or any laws or rules on the books to reduce methane emissions.

Hamby said each state can celebrate its wins, but must also get to work where they're lagging.

"So hopefully the scorecard can help with identifying some area for growth in each state," said Hamby, "as policymakers are looking for ideas of what they might be able to do to advance conservation goals."

Hamby added that the positive economic implications of a transition to a clean energy economy will become even more evident in years to come.

Since the passage of The Clean Energy Plan in 2022, Nevada has seen more than 20,000 new jobs across the state.