aridity
Newsletter
Vegas doubles down on water conservation amidst growing aridity
In an era of unprecedented drought, Las Vegas is leading the way with rigorous water-saving strategies to ensure its survival and growth.
In short:
- Las Vegas, heavily reliant on the Colorado River for water, has implemented stringent conservation measures to combat a drying climate, including turf removal incentives and restrictions on water use.
- Despite these measures, the city has managed to grow, adding 750,000 residents while reducing water consumption from the Colorado River by 31%.
- Other Southwest cities, facing similar aridity challenges, are now pressured to adopt Las Vegas's proactive conservation strategies to secure their water futures.
Key quote:
“What’s the water bottom line going to be, and how do you make that math work?”
— State Assemblyman Howard Watts III
Why this matters:
Water scarcity is reshaping how cities in the arid Southwest approach growth and sustainability. Nestled within the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas has long contended with the challenges of limited water resources. The city draws the majority of its water from the Colorado River, via Lake Mead, which has faced significant water level declines due to prolonged droughts and overuse.
Be sure to read EHN’s coverage of Tucson’s ambitious tree planting goals: Planting a million trees in the semi-arid desert to combat climate change.
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Newsletter
Photo by Michael Jasmund on Unsplash
Aridity could dry up Southwestern mine proposals
Critical minerals for the clean energy transition are abundant in the Southwest, but the dozens of mines proposed to access them will require vast sums of water, something in short supply in the desert.
Newsletter
Photo by Oleksandr Sushko on Unsplash
Climate change and droughts: What’s the connection?
Because of the West’s largely semi-arid and desert climates, droughts are natural occurrences across the region. However, regional climate isn’t the only culprit in drought activity.
Newsletter
Photo by Tucker Tangeman on Unsplash
Shifting climate zones: Kenya arid regions expand 10pc in 40 years
Africa has one of the most extensive dryland systems, which comprises roughly 15 percent of the global land area under desert.
U.S. Department of Agriculture/ Flickr
Destructive wildfires rage in New Mexico, Colorado
Firefighters scouted the drought-stricken mountainsides around a New Mexico village as they looked for opportunities to slow a wind-driven wildfire that a day earlier had burned at least 150 homes and other structures while displacing thousands of residents and forcing the evacuation of two schools.
Felton Davis/ Flickr
'Heat officer' at TED conference outlines desperate need for cities to cope with rising temperatures
At the TED 2022 conference in Vancouver on Wednesday, Europe's first ever official to be appointed to help her city deal with rising temperatures due to climate change outlined the steps needed to safeguard residents from what she calls the deadliest consequence of climate change.
How to prevent the planet from becoming an uninhabitable desert
Deserts across the world are rapidly expanding as more and more soils dry out and lose their fertility. How can we breathe life back into desolate sandy landscapes and green the desert? Here are four ideas.
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