For Mary Nemecek, investing in renewable energy is the right step toward reducing the effects of climate change. As the head of conservation for the Burroughs Audubon Society of Kansas City, Nemecek wants to save birds from the effects of climate change, which is affecting their migratory patterns, and in some cases, threatening extinction. But […]
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Climate change, habitat loss — local groups are helping birds survive these threats
When Mary Nemecek learned a group of Arctic birds weren’t able to breed because warm weather never arrived in Greenland, she wondered if she would ever see a dunlin, a kind of Arctic shorebird, again. “I feel like we’re sitting on a precipice where there are some of these species that are fragile, and they’re […]
Posted inEnvironment
Meet the young activists pushing for KCMO climate accountability
When Alex Teasley found out Kansas City, Missouri, was prioritizing action on climate change, they were hopeful. Teasley, 17, is a part of Sunrise Movement KC, a local chapter of the national nonprofit organization, which was founded in 2017 shortly before an international rise in climate change protests. The chapter advocates for the Green New […]
Posted inEnvironment
How climate change affects tornado season — and how it doesn’t
“Especially here, there’s so much variability from year to year to what causes our weather,” Bowman said. “I don’t think you can draw any kind of conclusion on any one, two or three years. You have to look at a multi-decade study.”
Posted inEnvironment
Bike ridership is exploding in Kansas City
New data from BikeWalkKC, a local nonprofit focused on making Kansas City streets safer and accessible for all people, shows that Kansas City residents are biking more than they had in the years before the pandemic.
Posted inEnvironment, Health
Sorry Kansas City allergy sufferers: Research shows the pollen season is longer
As climate change warms temperatures and lengthens the pollen season, allergy symptoms may last longer or be more intense.
Posted inEnvironment
Fish Fight: Invasive Asian carp threaten Kansas and Missouri waterways
There’s a war being fought amid the vast Mississippi River system. At stake are populations of native fish and a multibillion-dollar fishing and boating industry.
Posted inEnvironment
Local scientists seek solutions for Kansas lakes battling harmful blue-green algae
Blue-green algae blooms have always been a natural, and safe, part of Kansas lakes. But within the past decade, algal amounts have increased, causing health and economic woes.
Posted inEnvironment
How invasive plants could overrun America’s largest remaining tallgrass prairie
America’s last stand of tallgrass prairie — primarily located in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas and extending to the north and south — is being overgrown by non-native plants.