A local organization is developing St. Louis’ first plan for addressing extreme urban heat.
The Missouri Coalition for the Environment is holding listening sessions throughout St. Louis in November and December to develop a new policy to protect city residents from high temperatures.
The plan will look at both the causes of extreme heat and helping people survive rising temperatures caused by climate change, said Elyse Schaeffer, policy coordinator at the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.
“Heat’s already the deadliest weather event in the country, and because it's going to get hotter, we expect that public health crisis to worsen,” Schaeffer said. “So we need protections in place for people as the temperatures get more dangerous, and we need to address the reasons why it's getting hotter.”
At a listening session Thursday in Dutchtown, residents of multiple city neighborhoods discussed how extreme heat is already affecting them and their neighbors.
Participants talked about a lack of accessible cooling centers during heat waves. They also discussed the need for better communication around extreme heat and more trees to provide shade in the summer.
In Dutchtown, many houses become extremely hot during the summer because of their flat black roofs and brick, said Myisha Johnson, a former Dutchtown resident who now lives in Holly Hills and is an organizer with Metropolitans Congregations United.
“Folks just won't turn their air conditioner on because the utilities continue to rise and it causes an issue, especially for those that are on fixed income or have no income at all,” Johnson said.
In the listening session, attendees were asked to think about solutions. Some focused on infrastructure needs like shelter at bus stations and switching to renewable energy to slow climate change. Dan Pearson of Tower Grove South wants less asphalt in the city.
“You could be dedicating that to rain gardens or, you know, higher-quality green space,” Pearson said. “So I think it's just going to take a wide range of approaches to really move the needle for us.”
In the coming months, the Missouri Coalition for the Environment wants to learn more about how heat affects St. Louisans’ health, energy costs and even death rates.
Experts say heat deaths are likely undercounted across the country. Heat can exacerbate a variety of underlying health conditions, which could contribute to death without showing up as a cause on official records.
Schaeffer is also interested in learning how climate change could affect less obvious things, like the ways St. Louisans can enjoy local attractions in the summer.
“The economic impacts are going to be really severe too, because if you don't even want to leave your house, you're probably not going to want to go out to festivals at the Arch and listen to live music, or take a walk around the Botanical Gardens, or enjoy all the things that make our city really special in the summertime,” Schaeffer said.
The policy development process is funded by a $408,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health. The Missouri Coalition for the Environment is collaborating with the St. Louis Association of Community Organizations and the Urban Land Institute.
For the first two years, Schaeffer and her colleagues will focus on developing the plan with community input. The final year of the process will focus on advocating for policy changes with city and potentially state officials. Eventually, Schaeffer hopes to develop a guide for other Missouri cities to create extreme heat policies.
There will be two listening sessions in December. One will be at Habitat for Humanity on South Grand Boulevard on Dec. 10. The second will be at St. Louis Association of Community Organizations on Plymouth Avenue on Dec. 14.
