Tree-planting program launched to mitigate severe Las Vegas ‘heat island effect’

As the Las Vegas Valley experiences record-breaking heat each summer, research shows temperatures are not distributed evenly, with poor or minority neighborhoods often bearing the brunt of heat waves.

Communities like east Las Vegas experience higher temperatures than other neighborhoods because of urban heat island effects.

The urban heat island effect is separate from climate change — it’s the result of higher temperatures in cities due to the abundance of blacktop and pavement. But climate change intensifies the effect by raising summer highs and creating more severe heat waves.

With temperatures rising an average of 5.76% since 1970, Las Vegas is the fastest-warming city in the U.S. according to 2019 Climate Central research.

One obvious solution being pushed by the City of Las Vegas: planting close to 60,000 trees across the city by 2050.

Read more in The Nevada Current

Nevada Plants is Here to Help

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