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WFPL To Host Discussion On Urban Heat Island, Climate Change

Louisville’s urban heat island is one of the fastest-growing in the country. This means that the disparity in temperatures between the city’s urban core and nearby countryside is widening — and that has repercussions for residents’ health and quality of life.

In Louisville, as in many cities, heavily urban areas are warmer than surrounding rural ones because they lack tree canopy cover and have an abundance of paved surfaces.

Using private donations, in 2014 Metro government commissioned a study of the problem. The final work lays out the scope of Louisville’s urban heat island, and also offers neighborhood-level solutions for the number of trees and lighter rooftops and parking lots that will help alleviate the problem. The study — undertaken by Brian Stone of Georgia Tech — is the first of its kind in the country.

Join us for a news special on Monday at 1 p.m. to discuss the urban heat island, other local effects of climate change and what steps Louisville could take to keep residents safe and healthy. Our guests will be Stone, Louisville Office of Sustainability Director Maria Koetter and Sarah Lynn Cunningham of the Louisville Climate Action Network.

We’ll take your calls at 502-814-8255. Tweet us @wfplnews or find us on Facebook.