UC expert offers advice to Cincinnati on climate change

A University of Cincinnati expert said Cincinnati can take steps to become more resilient to storms, droughts and heat waves that are becoming increasingly frequent and more severe.

Bob Hyland, an associate professor and educator in UC's College of Arts and Sciences, teaches in the School of Environment and Sustainability.

In an op-ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Hyland noted that severe storms like the deadly derecho Wednesday that packed winds of more than 90 mph and caused widespread power outages and damage across the Midwest are becoming both more frequent and more severe.

He offered recommendations for ways the city can make itself more resilient, including keeping parks and other green spaces undeveloped. Impermeable surfaces like parking lots do not drain rainfall and end up contributing to flooding. 

Hyland also recommended more investment into mass transit infrastructure. Transportation is responsible for nearly one-third of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“Whether you're personally ready to accept it or not, global warming is real, and it's making the extreme weather events we've experienced in Cincinnati lately both more likely and more severe,“ Hyland said.

Featured image at top: UC Associate Professor and Educator Bob Hyland says Cincinnati can take steps to be more resilient to storms. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC