E & J's dad. Works on climate change, air quality & environmental justice. Founded Cleveland Refugee Bike Project. Juventus & Eintracht. Opinions my own.
When you spend an inordinate amount of time putting together an awesome spreadsheet and no one else is interested in diving into the data to find patterns
The most extreme disparity in the region occurs along the Cleveland - Euclid border. Residents of Census 1178 (East 185th & St. Clair) endure a UHI of 9.7°F. Just 1 mile south in tract 1527.02 (located in the Euclid Creek reservation), the UHI is 0°F.
According to their findings, Cleveland has the 16th highest average urban heat island (UHI) effect among the cities evaluated. The average Clevelander experiences summertime temperatures 8.14°F warmer than average.
Air conditioning is an essential tool for adapting to climate change. But we absolutely cannot AC our way out of the crisis, and simply expanding AC access is not enough to reduce the increasing risks of heat. www.theclimatebrink.com/p/can-we-air...
1.) Climate change is already affecting Cleveland.
The number and severity of extreme weather events has increased in Cleveland in recent years. 7 of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2010, with 2023 ranking 4th.
2.) Clevelanders are most concerned about how climate change will affect air quality.
Climate change is making our pollution issues worse. Warmer temperatures exacerbate ozone pollution, and we saw last summer how wildfire smoke can severely compromise quality of life.
3.) Extreme heat is another major concern.
While Cleveland has typically been buffered from dangerous heat, that is changing. The number of hot days has increased since 2010, and we could experience 15-47 days above 95⁰F by the end of the century.
4.) Extreme precipitation and flooding are another serious threat.
The amount of rain falling during the heaviest 1% of storms has increased by 45% in the Great Lakes region since the 1950s. Cleveland is already a major flood risk, and this risk will only increase in the future.
5.) Several Cleveland neighborhoods are highly vulnerable to climate risks.
8 Census tracts are >90%, nationally, for total climate risk. Most of this is driven by underlying socioeconomic vulnerabilities, with 10 Census tracts ranked >98% nationally for baseline vulnerability
Per CDC data, heat-related illness (HRI) rates have spiked this week:
- In the Great Lakes, they jumped 3.6-fold from 166/100,000 on 6/15 to 605 by 6/19
- In NY/NJ, they spiked 16-fold from 38 to 606
- In New England they rose 16.7-fold from 44 to 735
ephtracking.cdc.gov/Applications...
Sure. A lot of 35 mph roads are perfectly safe at 45. The ones that aren’t have traffic-calming designs. I don’t exceed the 25 mph limit in my subdivision or similar streets because there are cars parked on either side, pedestrians walking in the road because there are no sidewalks, and kitty cats.
