By Liz Hurtado
Posted October 9, 2025
For many Latino families in Nevada, the climate crisis is not a distant concern; it’s an immediate health emergency. Record-breaking heat and soaring energy bills are hitting families hard. Many are forced to choose between keeping a cool, safe home or covering other essentials.
At the recent EcoMadres Summit in Las Vegas, parents, doctors, and community leaders spotlighted the severe health impacts disproportionately affecting Latino households. “No family should have to choose between turning off the AC to save on bills or risking their children’s health during extreme heat,” said Mary Wagner, Nevada Field Organizer for EcoMadres and a mother of two. “My oldest has asthma, and every summer the rising temperatures make it harder for him to breathe. Keeping kids indoors may feel safer, but it robs them of the chance to play, grow, and simply be children. Our kids deserve better, and it’s on all of us to demand change.”
Her story underscored a central theme of the event: families are facing a triple health threat from record-breaking heat, air pollution, and high energy costs. Doctors at the summit described children struggling with asthma and other respiratory illnesses, while researchers highlighted how Latino communities are bearing the heaviest health burden.
Speakers pointed to fossil fuel pollution as both a driver of extreme weather and a contributor to high utility bills and respiratory harm. Advocates emphasized that clean energy investments could cut harmful air pollution, lower household energy costs, and help families keep life-saving cooling and medical equipment running.
Community leaders, including Leo Murrieta of Make the Road Nevada, stressed that addressing climate change is an issue of equity: “Minority communities, especially Latine families in Nevada, bear the heaviest burden of climate injustice – from withering heatwaves to polluted air.”
The summit closed with a unified call to action: protect clean energy funding, reject harmful budget cuts, and prioritize policies that protect children’s health. For Latino families in Nevada, the cost of inaction isn’t just measured in dollars; it’s measured in lives.
Liz Hurtado, Senior Manager, Field Engagement and Partnerships at Moms Clean Air Force and EcoMadres. EcoMadres is a program of Moms Clean Air Force that mobilizes parents and caregivers to fight for healthy air and a safe future for Latino families.
