Laura Martin, executive director of PLAN, who is black, said it’s a rare combination to see so many groups with diverse leaders doing environmental advocacy work.

“The environment is not just public lands or the recreation we can do. It’s also environmental racism, ”she said. “That’s what we wanted to do with this report, is really start to dive into this conversation, but also develop and support policy ideas that are tangible and achievable.

The group highlighted a new report from Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSE) that examines the burden of energy costs and impacts on Nevadans, particularly low-income residents and communities of color.

According to the report, these groups have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing impact of climate change, making it all the more important that measures to eliminate greenhouse gases and mitigating climate change tackle these inequalities.

“Low-income households and people of color often struggle to afford the electricity and fuels they depend on to power their homes and vehicles,” the report said. “These social inequalities and many others impact all sectors of the economy, and decarbonization efforts should take into account these existing disparities in order to develop clean energy transition strategies that distribute the benefits of fairer way among the people of Nevada. “