Last year was the third-warmest year on Earth since recordkeeping began in 1850.
Nevadans felt it.
Temperatures across Nevada averaged 6 degrees above usual in November, as I wrote the other day. Some days, temperatures were 10 degrees over normal.
And as we rolled into and through the holiday season, I read social media posts from gardeners who were befuddled, and excited, about flowers blooming well out of season. While skiing near Lake Tahoe, people on the chairlift commented on the beautiful weather as the lift transported them over rocky terrain usually buried under snow.
I agree the mild conditions are pleasant — I’d rather walk around in a sweater than bundled up in layers, I’m enjoying not shoveling “Sierra cement” (our notoriously dense and wet snow) out of the driveway and the energy bill for our old, not-as-efficient-as-it-could-be house is lower than it has been over the past couple winters.
While Nevada is renowned for its lack of precipitation, there’s a hidden cost behind the seemingly endless streak of mild days and clear blue skies we’re in the midst of that’s preventing me from fully enjoying the weather.
Last year, I wrote how low water levels and declining aquifers led to conflict between farmers and conservationists in rural Nevada.
In Southern Nevada, wildlife officials had to haul water into parched areas to assist wildlife unable to escape the dry conditions.
And wildfires are burning longer, bigger and closer to residential areas.
These issues have measurable and immediate costs, as I wrote earlier this month, with thousands of Nevadans, and the state’s largest electric utility, struggling to find wildfire insurance.
In 2022, 264 Nevada homeowners, primarily in wildfire-prone areas such as around Lake Tahoe or Elko, had their policies canceled because of threats from wildfire and another 2,400-plus applicants were declined because of the risk. The following year, 481 homeowner policies were canceled and nearly 5,000 applications were declined.
To combat this, lawmakers last year passed legislation allowing insurance companies to carve wildfire coverage from their plans and offer it under a separate, second policy, hoping to spur companies to continue doing business in Nevada. But, some opponents say, the move could drive insurance costs up for Nevadans.
Also last year, NV Energy reported it was struggling to find ways to increase its level of commercial insurance and asked state energy regulators to let the utility establish a self-funded wildfire insurance plan. The company asked to tack on additional customer charges totaling $500 million over a decade to create a reserve fund in case of a catastrophic wildfire sparked by the utility’s infrastructure.
While the charges would be small — a few dollars a month in the north and less than a dollar a month in the south — they are additional costs some customers would struggle to pay as prices and bills continue to rise. (State energy regulators agree the utility needs to increase its coverage, although they haven’t confirmed yet if the company will be able to pass that cost on to customers.)
So while the clear blue skies and warm afternoons are great for puttering in the garden or heading out for a hike, I can’t help but be a little on edge. It’s been nearly a month since our last measurable rain or snowfall, and for each day of warm, dry weather now, Nevadans are robbing Peter to pay Paul — and at some point, we will have to pay up.
— This story is used with permission of The Nevada Independent. Go here for updates to this and other Nevada Independent stories.
