Skip to main content

Is Kentucky Prepared for a Changing Climate?


Climate Central - State of KY Report Card - Full Report
For the first time Climate Central released report cards featuring how well each of the 50 states prepares for current hazards and future climate change. A closer look reveals relatively bad grades for states in the Local 6 area. Missouri was at the bottom of the 4-state area coming in with a grade of "F". Kentucky and Illinois followed with a grade of "D" while Tennessee earned highest marks in the region with a "C". The nearly failing grades in Kentucky showed up when looking at future disasters, planning, and long-term preparedness statewide.  The graphic above shows the breakdown of the grades assigned to the different climate related disasters deemed future risks.

The same study/grading showed Kentucky actually scoring very well as it relates to disaster response. Climate Central identified two programs outlining action already taken:
  • Kentucky’s Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan, technical assistance programs, disaster response plans, emergency communications materials, and sector-specific programs are helping the state address its current climate risks. 
  • The Community Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Planning System (CHAMPS) database tracks hazards and impacts at the county level. CHAMPS establishes a coordinated process for disaster management planning and enhancing disaster management efforts through a better understanding of risk.

Looking forward Kentucky is in need of an actual plan. Despite political views, warming is taking place whether you believe it to be human induced or natural, and the state must be prepared for the implications of a warmer climate. For Kentucky, those risks have been identified as extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and inland flooding. The weaknesses in our state preparedness are identified as the following:

  • No evidence of statewide detailed climate change vulnerability assessments across the sectors examined. 
  • No evidence of statewide detailed climate change adaptation plan across the sectors examined. 
  • No evidence of official state funding, policies, or guidelines to improve resilience to climate change-related risks. 
  • No evidence of action to incorporate climate change projections associated with extreme heat, drought, wildfire, or inland flooding into state-level programs, investments, and activities. 
  • No evidence of public outreach about climate change-related risks.
Climate Central "Action Taken Report Card" for Kentucky - 2015
It's up to state and local officials to address these weaknesses to prepare and strengthen our communities.

The 21st Conference of the Parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) began last week in Paris, France. This meeting involves world leaders negotiating an international agreement to limit emissions and hold planetary warming below 2°C (3.6°F) from pre-industrial levels. To find out why 2 degrees makes such a difference, even here in the Local 6 area, check out the video below.

Labels:
Location: Paducah, KY, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Planting Zones Heading North

As our global climate changes, so does our planting zones, helping us determine which flowers/shrubs/trees are hardy in specific areas. The Local 6 area has always been split by 2-3 growing zones so placement becomes very important to those in the agricultural community. The image below represents the average over the past 30 years. Climate Central published the following information:  "What kinds of flowers, shrubs and trees you’ll find at your local nursery depends on your climate — how warm it tends to get in summer, and how cold in winter. A plant that’s happy in Wisconsin might be miserable in Alabama, and vice versa. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has formalized these differences into " hardiness zones " — strips of similar climate that run more or less east-to-west (except in the high mountains), where particular plants should do especially well. But as the planet warms under its thickening blanket of greenhouse gases, those zones are shifting northward. Th...
46 comments
Read more

Updates on Upcoming Winter Weather Events

Sunday Morning Update: A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for much of the WPSD Local 6 area with a handful of counties just reaching Winter Storm criteria. Here is the latest map. They are in effect until early Monday. Snowfall totals have not changed much from last nights posting and I really feel this will still just be a road impact for Monday morning. Here is the projected snowfall total map: Sorry, TN. Looks like another near miss on the snow for you. :( Saturday Night Update: A Winter Storm Watch has been issued by the Paducah National Weather Service for most of the WPSD Local 6 area. Portions of NW TN and MO Bootheel have been placed under a Winter Weather Advisory all for winters weather on Sunday as colder air begins to arrive.   Rain will switch over to freezing rain, sleet, and snow during the day on Sunday eventually leading to accumulations in the watch/advisory areas. Initially any frozen precip will melt thanks to Saturday's mild temps and warmer pavement surfac...
4 comments
Read more

Longer Allergy Seasons

The National Phenology Network is showing the early arrival of leaves on trees in the Ohio Valley, the Midwest, and Western United States this year. This trend has become more of a norm over the past past 50 years.   Climate Central published data this week showing the same trend since 1970 with notable attention to the West where states are seeing as many as 17 more frost-free days, extending the growing season. Here in the Local 6 area, the growth is not as notable but still averaging between 4-9 days additional to the growing season. Why does this matter? Aside from having an influence on which plants are suitable for planting zones, it has a much higher societal impact by extending the allergy season.  "As the climate warms from the increase of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the last spring freeze is trending earlier and the first fall freeze is coming later. This means the growing season is getting longer, and so is the pollen season— whether it i...
4 comments
Read more