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According to a new Suffolk University/Reno Gazette Journal poll, climate change has a significant impact on the majority Nevadans.
The survey of 500 Nevadans shows that most people in the Silver State share concern about the impact of global warming, especially when it comes to the rise in wildfires in the West and resulting poor air quality.
This sentiment is strongest in Washoe County where the past two summers were smoke-filled by California wildfires. Nearly all Washoe County residents who were polled expressed concern about wildfires and the resulting air pollution.
Here’s what Nevadans from across the state have to say about climate change and wildfires, and how they are affected by them.
What the poll revealed
More than half of those polled in Clark County and nearly two-thirds of those in Washoe County said climate change impacts them daily.
And for people of color who responded, the numbers were even higher: 69% of Black respondents agreed, as opposed to 47% of white respondents.
Respondents’ concern levels also depend on their age. Of those surveyed, 78% of those aged 18-24 agreed climate change is impacting their lives, while less than half of those aged 65-74 agreed.
The lone segment of Nevadans who did not report seeing a daily impact due to climate change was rural Nevada, where more than three-quarters said global warming doesn’t impact them.
What are the opinions of likely voters?
Brant Wojack, a 50-year-old who recently moved to Las Vegas from Hawaii, said he thinks about the impacts of climate change nearly every day.
“My answer is always ‘climate change is the most important thing,” he told the RGJ. “It should be the number one priority of everyone.”
Results from the full poll:How Nevadans feel about midterm elections
His concerns about climate change have impacted his home improvements. After Wojack and his wife settled into their Las Vegas home last year, they installed solar panels and elaborate air purifiers.
Living through last year’s smoky weather and seeing record-low water levels at Lake Mead has been eye-opening.
“Seeing the skyline just white — it has an impact when you can see it with your own eyes,” he said of last year’s smoky skies. “There was no blue anywhere.
“I think about my grandkids and what are we leaving behind for them. It weighs heavily on my mind.”
Tina Megason, a 62-year-old Republican from Carson City, said she doesn’t “buy the climate change crap.” But she agreed that wildfires — and the ensuing smoke and ash that comes from them — is a crippling problem for Nevada.
Recent California mega-fires, Megason said, “could be prevented with a little maintenance. People are making poor choices about managing the resources.”
But she isn’t immune to the fires’ fallout.
She looked out the window as the Tamarack Fire erupted last summer before she left Gardnerville. It was about 5 p.m., and the sky was a mixture of red and black.
“It was apocalyptic,” she said. “It looked like Revelations.”
She put on a mask to walk to her car.
Unified by wildfire concerns
Nevadans on both sides of major political party lines are united by concern about the recent rise in the size, frequency and severity of wildfires — 95% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans agreed it’s a problem.
In central Nevada, 78% of those polled are concerned about the uptick in blazes, and almost all Washoe County residents polled are concerned — a whopping 92%.
For Cheryl Ward, a Latina Republican and 23-year Elko resident, the impacts of summer wildfires have been more noticeable than ever.
“We’ve had more and more severe fires as we have the increase in the temperatures each year and less precipitation,” said Ward, who attributed the increased fire activity to climate change, “but a lot of people here in Elko don’t realize that. They think it’s just change that’s happened throughout history.”
Her family enjoys hiking and traveling, but they skipped visiting the California coast the past few summers to avoid the state’s wildfires. Last year, they instead visited family on the East Coast, where Ward remembers smoke from the West settling over Manhattan.
“It wasn’t as bad as Nevada,” she said, “but having the smoke travel that far was very eye-opening.”
A large divide on air quality
While wildfire concerns span party lines, concerns about air quality do not — 90% of Democrats are concerned, as opposed to only 48% of Republicans.
In Washoe County, 86% of respondents reported concerns about declining air quality, while 6% had no concern at all; in Clark County, 70% of respondents expressed concern, while 10 said it’s not a problem for them.
Showing properties to prospective out-of-area clients, Taylor Baruh, a 28-year-old Reno realtor and non-partisan voter, said he worries how the pervasive summer smoke skews the view of the area. The smoke exposure caused him headaches by the end of each summer’s work day.
Robert Nuckles (60), Carson City said that he believes poor quality air from wildfires contributed to the death of his mother three years ago. She had suffered from chronic obstructionive pulmonary disease.
“She was absolutely ripe for getting a fatal acute illness because of poor air quality,” Nuckles said. “It had everything to do with the poor air quality … It was so nasty and unhealthful. They talk about going in casinos and it’s bad, but outside, it was just as bad or worse.”
Amy Alonzo covers Nevada and Lake Tahoe’s outdoors, recreation, environment and culture. Reach her at [email protected]. Here are some ways you can support local journalism and ongoing coverage.
