“[Sanders’] Green New Deal is not a climate policy — it is a system upgrade,” Klein told the audience in Nevada

This is the fastest-warming city in the country. Since 1970, the city’s average temperature has risen 5.76 degrees Fahrenheit. Last summer, a study of coroner data by the Las Vegas–based Desert Research Institute identified a link between heatwaves and heat-related deaths, which experts say are on the rise. As a city that depends on tourism for its economy, a zip code with one of the state’s highest poverty rates, it’s no surprise that Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign surrogates hosted an event, three days before the Nevada caucus, to specifically address climate change — and advertise why his plan is the best. 

The event, titled “Women for Bernie Climate Change Town Hall,” featured former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, author Naomi Klein, healthcare activist Dr. Victoria Dooley, and Amy Vilela, the Nevada co-chair of Sanders’ campaign. It took place on Thursday afternoon, in an intimate town hall setting. About 75 percent of the seats were filled, tallying about 30 people in attendance. Klein, whose book “On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal” has caught fire (pun intended) in progressive circles, opened the conversation by explaining why she believes Sanders is the best-equipped of all the Democratic presidential candidates to address the existential crisis.