Las Vegas is embracing a simple climate solution: More trees

Summary

Last year, the city of Las Vegas reached a record 120 degrees during the peak of summer. The Clark County Coroner's Office found that heat was a factor in more than 500 deaths. Now, city, county and local advocates are planting thousands of trees to help bring down temperatures in the hottest neighborhoods. Trees can have a significant impact on mitigating heat. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption toggle caption Ryan Kellman/NPR Climate change shapes where and how we live. That's why NPR is dedicating a week to stories about solutions for building and living on a hotter planet. Trees in the desert are like oxygen at high altitude — scarce and precious. During a recent spring tree giveaway sponsored by Nevada's Clark County, the team had a couple of hundred young trees ready and lined up for residents. All the trees disappeared within an hour. Lulu Banks was eligible for two free trees. That's because her neighborhood in North Las Vegas is a designated "urban heat island" — a specific area that's hotter than other neighborhoods, in part because of lack of shade. Urban forester Brad Daseler walks through a tree nursery in Las Vegas. The city has a goal of planting 60,000 trees by 2050. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption toggle caption Ryan Kellman/NPR "I don't have any trees on my property," Banks said. She knew exactly where she was going to plant the new trees: one close to her front window and another outside her bedroom. She hopes the shade will help lower her air conditioning bill in the summer. Research has shown that trees can lower the temperature in the area around them significantly, by at least 10 degrees. And Las Vegas needs all the cooling it can get. Climate change is driving up peak temperatures in cities across the country, and last summer, Las Vegas reached a record high of 120 degrees. Temperatures hit 100 degrees or higher for more than two months straight. That summer heat contributed to more than 500 deaths, according to the Clark County Coroner's Office. Ex...