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Contact: Alex Greenwood   816-756-3580 ext. 4270

July 26, 2007

KCPT Takes on Global Warming with THE HEAT IS ON: The Warming of KC

Airs Thursday, August 2 at 7:30 pm

(KANSAS CITY) Imagine the Sunflower State without sunflowers. That's one of the dire predictions contained in a new report on global warming released by the National Wildlife Federation, which says the Kansas state flower could move north to other states in a few decades. The local effects of global warming are dissected and analyzed in THE HEAT IS ON: The Warming of KC, Thursday, August 2nd at 7:30 p.m. on KCPT.

Host Nick Haines convenes scientists, business leaders, citizens and policy makers in this primetime special that evaluates the metro's response to global warming and takes a critical look at some of the solutions being considered.

In Missouri, climate change is expected to alter the composition of the state's forests, with southern pines replacing oak and hickory and warmer water harming popular recreational fish such as small mouth bass and trout.

Increasing temperatures also could mean the end of the Kansas state tree, the eastern cottonwood, according to the Wildlife Federation's "Gardener's Guide to Global Warming."  If the fuss over climate change seems somehow remote here in the middle of the United States, where its hard to tell whether sea levels are rising or whether mountain glaciers really are melting, the guide suggests looking closer to home — out in your own lawn or garden.

The changes are most visible in the U-S Department of Agriculture's maps of "hardiness zones" which detail what sorts of plants can grow in what parts of the country. According to the 2007 gardening guide, Zone 7, which used to cover southern Oklahoma, northwest Texas and most of Arkansas, is now firmly established in Kansas and Missouri.

The program asks the question: do concerns over local climate change warrant major policy changes? Are area elected leaders too quick to jump on what some say is an alarmist bandwagon that is over exaggerating the climactic threat?

Some cities have responded to global warming by instituting bans on incandescent light bulbs, those regular screw-in light sources you've used for decades in your home. Is Kansas City next?

What about Kansas City following the lead of Seattle, Oakland and San Francisco, which have banned all Styrofoam containers?

Atlanta has been weighing a ban on "drive-thru" windows amid concern over the damaging environmental effects of idling vehicles.  A number of metro area cities recently passed smoking bans. Is the drive-thru window at your favorite fast-food joint next?

Larger cities including New York are evaluating "congestion pricing" which would charge drivers a fee for entering heavy traffic areas during busy parts of the day. Will Johnson County commuters heading downtown pay a surcharge for the privilege of cruising I-35 during rush hour?

If our area cities do nothing, will it really make any difference to the world's environmental health?

KCPT provides programming and services that entertain, educate and enrich the Kansas City community. For more information about KCPT's programs and services go to www.KCPT.org.

--KCPT--