Lombardo dismisses climate concern despite current evidence

Who does Gov. Joe Lombardo think he’s kidding?

Amid an extreme heat wave that every responsible climate scientist says is part of human-contributed climate change, Lombardo has elected to voluntarily withdraw Nevada from the U.S. Climate Alliance and is advocating for increasing the amount of fossil fuels used in Nevada homes and for Nevada energy production.

In a statement, Lombardo said the alliance’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thus reducing the impacts of global climate change “conflict with Nevada’s energy policy objectives.”

That’s a polite way of saying that Lombardo cares more for the profits of Nevada energy companies than protecting Nevadans from the effects of climate change, which are already creating havoc statewide.

The governor needs to take a good long look out the window.

Nevada’s skies are now defined by dangerous and endlessly repeating cycles of blizzards, floods, fires and droughts. It was less than three months ago that President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration to help communities across the state recover from severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides. Yet simultaneously, a massive bathtub ring surrounds Lake Mead as the water level drops year after year, threatening U.S. agriculture and the primary water supply for 40 million people who live in the West.

Elsewhere in the country and around the world, hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity. Just two weeks ago, Earth experienced its hottest day and hottest week on record. Many experts anticipate that we will break the record again this week.

It’s undeniable that the climate is changing. Extreme weather is now the norm.

None of this matters to Lombardo, who is following his soulmate, Donald Trump. Trump pulled out of the Paris climate accords as one of his first acts and helped pave the way for the devastation that has hit Nevada so hard. It seems that is how we make America and Nevada great again — we ignore science and imperil people.

While the rest of us sweat it out in record-setting heat trying to avoid skyrocketing energy bills, Lombardo is like Marie Antoinette responding to the concerns of middle-class Nevadans by proclaiming “Let them eat cake.”

Actually, no. That shortchanges Marie Antoinette, who at least took a moment to pretend to listen to the concerns of her subjects before dismissing them. Lombardo didn’t even bother to ask Nevadans about their thoughts on climate change, let alone give credence to our opinions.

If he had, he would know that more than half of Clark County residents and nearly two-thirds of those in Washoe County say that climate change impacts them daily, according to a 2022 Suffolk University/Reno Gazette-Journal poll.

That’s consistent with a 2021 poll by the Nevada Conservation League, which showed that 82% of Nevada voters believe that climate change is a serious problem and 67% agree with the statement “climate change is already having a serious impact on this part of the country.”

Lombardo responded to those polls in the 2023 legislative session by completely ignoring them.

He vetoed bipartisan bills that would have required counties to develop heat mitigation plans and created heat-management guidelines for employees with outdoor workers. These are commonsense reforms that asked for little more than a plan for how corporations and local governments intended to deal with extreme summer temperatures. That was a bridge too far for Lombardo.

Now he’s following up on those vetoes by removing Nevada from the climate alliance and advocating for increasing the use of fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, approximately 111 million people in the U.S. are under an excessive heat advisory, according to the National Weather Service. Las Vegas is under an excessive heat warning until 8 p.m. Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 117 degrees.

Hot enough to bake Marie Lombardo’s cake.