It’s getting hotter. The nonprofit scientific research organization Climate Central reports that average summer temperatures in Las Vegas have risen nearly six degrees since 1970, and Southern Nevada remains one of the fastest-warming metropolitan areas across the west—getting hotter faster than Phoenix, Salt Lake City and El Paso.

A 2022 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-funded heat mapping study involved a group of 60 volunteers who spread out across Clark County to check the temperatures in different locations during the morning, afternoon and night. The map produced from that data shows that elevated temperatures are worst in North Las Vegas, East Las Vegas and downtown, which can get up to 11 degrees hotter than other parts of the city.

Extreme temperatures in the northern hemisphere has killed hundreds of people and is fueling forest fires across three continents. Climate scientists say we need to become accustomed to prolonged events like this that may be repeated across the southern hemisphere this summer.

If you find yourself having breathing troubles or worsening allergies during these hot summer months, experts say this heatwave may be to blame as it’s causing more pollution in our air.

Cities and towns across three continents are in the grip of heatwaves so strong they are breaking records. From Beijing to Rome, people are struggling with extreme weather conditions and heat-related illnesses. The US city of Phoenix has broken a record set nearly half a century ago, of 19 consecutive days of temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius. Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey reports from Clark County, Nevada where heat shelters are nearly full.

Nestled in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Public School 41 differs from its neighboring buildings in a way that’s both profound and only visible from above. Unlike the flat, gray roofs adorning other structures on the street, the school’s roof is a bright, verdant green. Covered in native plants, the vegetation provides an unlikely urban haven for birds and insects. It also acts as a natural stormwater control system and reduces the building’s carbon footprint. When the school’s students were asked how the roof made them feel, they said “free.”

Evidence shows the Las Vegas Metro is the fastest-warming city in the entire US. A new heat map was just completed by volunteers working with the RTC to show which areas of the valley are the hottest. Dr. Steffen Lehmann, a professor of architecture and urbanism at UNLV, has researched how excessive heat impacts the city for decades and met with FOX5 to break down the impacts of the urban heat island effect.

As Nevada and other Western states look to spread out across more federal land, environmentalists and advocates of “smart growth” worry about sustainability, sprawl, water and climate change.