Climate change doesn’t care if you don’t think it’s real. And Kansas City isn’t ready

Did you know the air temperature reached 124 degrees in Portland, Oregon, last June? Or that the pavement in one area of the city reached 180 degrees Fahrenheit?

Did you know that emergency communications in the region broke down? That dozens of workers walked the streets, handing out water bottles and wet towels to residents? That pavement buckled?

Did you know the heat wave killed an estimated 500 people in the Pacific Northwest?

The world has argued about climate change for a generation. That debate is essentially over: Climate change doesn’t care if you think it’s real or not. It’s here. Weather extremes, including blistering heat waves, torrential rain and shivering cold snaps, are inevitable.

Kansas City is not immune to climate calamity, and must do more to be ready.

That’s the idea behind a resolution to be debated Wednesday at City Hall. It asks the City Council to declare a “climate emergency” — and then to act on the crisis with smarter planning and spending decisions, city development guidelines and legislative priorities.

“The Earth is already too hot for safety,” the resolution says. Portland is evidence of that, as are rising sea levels on the coasts, violent storms, wildfires and drought. There is no time to lose.

Addressing the effects of a changing climate will be difficult, but not impossible. The shelves sag with studies and recommendations that address greenhouse gas emissions and climate change mitigation in our area.

Some of those studies focus on reducing the region’s carbon footprint. The Mid-America Regional Council has offered a plan to end regional greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, for example.

Others have proposed more robust mass transit options or more efficient buildings. Walkable neighborhoods are on the table. So is increasing reliance on bicycles and other nonpolluting transit options.

All are good ideas. But Kansas City must plan for hotter summers now, particularly in so-called “heat islands” in the urban core. That means significant money for more shelters and health care workers in the next budget, not in some distant future.

Kansas City must plant tens of thousands of new trees over the next two or three years, a step that will take carbon from the air and eventually provide cooling shade in the inner city.

This year, the city has approved nearly $40 million in street resurfacing projects — mostly using black asphalt, which will heat the city even more. Alternatives exist and should be considered.

Emergency preparedness plans should be reexamined for climate response and resiliency. The city should reach out to vulnerable residents this spring, before it gets too hot, so cooling alternatives can be found.

Some of this work has been done or is in progress. Kansas City has done a reasonable job of reducing greenhouse gases and should be applauded for that.

But the crisis is on the doorstep. Kansas City needs an all-of-government response to the immediate impact of a changing climate. A 1980 heat wave took more than 175 lives in Kansas City, a tragedy that could be repeated.

“There has to be a focus on communicating the urgency and preparedness to the average resident and especially vulnerable residents,” said City Council member Melissa Robinson, one of the resolution’s sponsors. “Our goal is to get everyone rowing in the same direction quickly.”

Once immediate needs are addressed, the city can turn to medium- and long-term mitigation efforts. Building codes must be updated and new construction made green: Already there is evidence the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport has been a missed opportunity for improved climate mitigation.

Incentivized building projects must meet tougher green standards. That new soccer stadium? The builders should ensure it’s carbon neutral.

“We are in an existential crisis,” said City Council member Andrea Bough, a co-sponsor of the resolution. She’s right. That means sustained, focused, real-world spending on climate change adaptation now, not 10years from now.

Portland was rocked by a record-setting heat wave just a few months ago. We may be next. We need to be ready.