Up To Date

What The Kansas City Metro Could Be Facing From Climate Change

By Steve Kraske,

Published March 1, 2021 at 11:02 PM CST

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Joel Frey plods along MIll Creek Parkway on Monday afternoon during an afternoon run. He said, "I'd rather it be 90 (degrees), but I don't get to pick my weather." — Joel Frey ran along Mill Creek Parkway during Kansas City's recent polar vortex. He said, "I'd rather it be 90°, but I don't get to pick my weather."

Kansas City's recent cold snap is just one example of the extreme events the Midwest will continue seeing as a result of climate change.

That's because global warming isn't just about it getting hotter, it's causing more extreme weather events. The result is the country will continue experiencing hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires.

Dr. Fengpeng Sun, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City

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Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Zach Wilson

As Up To Date’s senior producer, I construct daily conversations that give our listeners context to the issues of our time. I strive to provide a platform that holds those in power accountable, while also spotlighting the voices of Kansas City’s creatives and visionaries that may otherwise go unheard. Email me at zach@kcur.org.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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