Kansas City region turns to climate action plan to combat extreme heat and keep residents safe

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.

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Kansas City residents are searching for relief from extreme heat, and cities like Overland Park and utility companies like Evergy are turning to a regional plan to help keep people safe.

Sam Kaifes, who was out walking during his lunch break, said the summer heat in Kansas City is hard to escape.

"I despise the heat," Kaifes said. "I don't like feeling sweaty, especially in Kansas City — it gets so muggy. The second you walk outside, it just starts dribbling down."

Jake Weller/KSHB

Anne Case-Halferty visits parks with her son Charlie this time of year, but even that comes with limits.

"After 2 o'clock it's too hot — the sand, the slides are too hot to go down," she said.

Jake Weller/KSHB

An infrared thermometer showed the slide was 104 degrees Fahrenheit around noon Friday. At the same time, the thermometer showed grass under the shade of a nearby tree was 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

A concrete sidewalk in the sun had a reading of 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Regional Climate Action Plan, developed with input from the Mid-America Regional Council, suggests cities make investments in public transportation, recycling, reducing greenhouse gases and even making rooftops more reflective.

Tom Jacobs, MARC environmental programs director, helped write the plan.

"There's a lot of things we can do thinking about how we design, build and manage cities that can cool it down and reduce flood risks," he explained.

Jacobs acknowledged the work ahead will take time.

"We have a lot of solutions we've identified — some are easy, some are hard. We're going to be at this for a while," Jacobs admitted.

He is pleased by utilities like Evergy, which is conducting a pilot program in Kansas City's Historic Northeast Neighborhood to paint commercial rooftops white and plant more trees.

Overland Park used the regional guide to develop its own plan. Kansas City also has its own climate protection and resiliency plan.

Case-Halferty said she believes collective action is what will ultimately make a difference.

"We all have a part to play," Case-Halferty said. "One person's action may not change things, but if everyone does their part, I think it does make a big difference."

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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