Dr. Kristen Averyt to serve as Nevada Climate Policy Coordinator
The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (NDCNR) is excited to announce Dr. Kristen Averyt as Nevada’s first State Climate Policy Coordinator. As called for under Gov. Sisolak’s Climate Change Executive Order 2019-22 issued in November 2019, Dr. Averyt will play a key role in developing policy, budget, and technology pathways to help Nevada address climate change and reduce greenhouse emissions in all sectors of Nevada’s economy, including leveraging the expertise available across the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). This critical role is supported through a grant to the State of Nevada from the US Climate Alliance in partnership with NSHE.
Dr. Averyt’s role as State Climate Policy Coordinator compliments her role as Research Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) focusing on climate resilience and sustainability. Prior to joining UNLV, Dr. Averyt served as President of Nevada’s Desert Research Institute (DRI). She holds a PhD from Stanford University, and her research portfolio covers a range of issues including the energy-water nexus, western water challenges, and regional impacts of climate change. Dr. Averyt shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, served as a lead author on the 2014 US National Climate Assessment, and was a Fulbright Fellow.
“I am pleased to bring Dr. Averyt’s renowned talent and expertise to a critical new role advancing Governor Sisolak’s leadership in establishing a clean, sustainable, and climate-resilient future for the benefit of all Nevadans,” said Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Director Bradley Crowell. “Her breadth of knowledge and experience combined with her award-winning research in climate science are the perfect match to help decarbonize Nevada’s economy, spur clean energy innovation, and curb the growing impacts of climate change that are already being felt in all corners of the Silver State.”
“I am excited and honored to be a part of Nevada’s leadership in addressing climate change and to pursue an inclusive and equitable transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy,” said Dr. Averyt. “I am truly looking forward to collaborating with local governments, tribes, industry, and our disadvantaged communities to identify innovative solutions that will advance the state’s climate and greenhouse gas reduction goals. And, the partnership with NSHE will strengthen our state’s resilience to climate change by ensuring that the best available, Nevada-specific science is informing state and local policy decisions for the benefit of all Nevadans.”
NSHE Chancellor Thom Reilly added, “Dr. Averyt knows the science and understands Nevada and our challenges. I’m proud NSHE and our institutions are collaborating with the state and the Governor’s office to combat climate change.”
Dr. Averyt will primarily work from Las Vegas, which is now one of the fastest-growing and fastest-warming cities in the nation. Dr. Averyt will focus on advancing Nevada’s ambitious and necessary climate goals by providing policy and planning support, leading statewide outreach efforts and engaging a diverse range of stakeholders including underserved communities, and leveraging the best available science to help Nevada meet the GHG reduction goals set forth in SB 254 and as a member of the US Climate Alliance. These efforts will provide essential coordination in developing Nevada’s first-ever strategic State Climate Strategy as called for under Governor Sisolak’s Executive Order 2019-22.
Learn more: climateaction.nv.gov