Emily Fritz | a&e editor

Long after talks of second summer and false fall — terms used to describe blistering temperatures and short periods of cooler weather throughout August and November — Pittsburghers are still experiencing record-breaking weather well into November, with Election Day at its warmest since 2004 according to the National Weather Service.

Pennsylvania, while not facing damage from the dangerous tropical storms of the south and not yet experiencing the harshness of winter, is still in a perilous position.

John Stolz, director and professor of Duquesne’s department of environmental and energy engineering, told The Duke that Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania are going to “fare pretty well” when it comes to the extremes of climate change, but warned that we aren’t far behind the greater effects of the climate crisis.

“When I was growing up, … the scientists were telling us we were heading toward an ice age. If we would follow the historic way that climate is supposed to work, it would be getting colder,” Stolz said. “It’s [climate change] normal for you guys. It’s not normal for me.”

Instead of getting out the winter wear, weather data from KDKA shows a November that is already 10.2°F warmer than average as of Nov. 12.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has observed a rise in temperature increase of 1.8°F overall in the last century and an additional 5.9°F increase expected by 2050.

“While rare historically (less than once per year, on average), days above 95°F are projected to occur about 12 times per year by mid-century and 31 times per year by of the state could experience up to 37 days above 95°F by 2050,” the DEP predicts in their 2021 Climate Change Impacts Assessment.

To put it into perspective, Pennsylvanians are looking at almost two weeks of their summer in the mid-90s every year, not including the surrounding days in the low-90s and high-80s. These predictions make this summer’s heat wave a regular occurrence.

For Brynn Tripp, president of Duquesne’s environmental club, Evergreen, the effects of climate change have not gone unnoticed.

“This has been a consistent pattern, I would say, for a while now. Our [seasons] have been hotter than they’ve ever been … and so I think that climate change definitely is a huge part of that.”

In urban areas especially, an increase in heat can stick around much longer due to the lack of green space. Environmental non-profit Tree Pittsburgh aims to strengthen the Steel City through tree planting, advocacy, education and stewardship.

Joe Stavish, director of education at Tree Pittsburgh, refers to Pittsburgh as having an “urban heat island effect,” where the heat becomes trapped by man-made buildings and roadways — which use materials that absorb heat as opposed to the cooling effects of shade-producing trees.

As the growing season extends, the local ecosystem is suffering from drier soil, leading to erosion and infrastructure damage. More importantly, instead of retaining water, tree canopies have declined. Since 2010, the Pittsburgh Canopy Alliance has found that Allegheny County loses 2% of its tree canopy every 5 years.

Despite the dry season, Stavish has noticed a new trend in the foliage as a result of the warmer weather: our deciduous plants have held onto their leaves much longer than normal.

“From a tree planting [perspective], it makes me feel good, because we’re not at the end of our tree planting season yet, so we still have plenty of weeks ahead to put trees in the ground before the freeze comes hard,” he said. “But I think historically, we should be a little concerned with insect-passed disease.”

Both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control have seen an increase in the spread of vector-borne diseases and both recognize climate change as a driving force behind flourishing insect populations.

Still, the long-term effects of climate change may not be visible to the naked eye, but they are undoubtedly present and wreaking havoc. Whether it be through temperature regulation, water absorption or preventing erosion, Stavish believes that a number of issues can be mitigated or minimized by having more trees.

“We see a lot of events that you can connect trees to climate change issues,” he said, “and those are things that people typically resonate with.”

In addition to the many initiatives around the city, Evergreen helps the campus community to stay informed and become involved through general body meetings and service projects, Tripp said.

Duquesne University hosts a University Sustainability Committee and holds a silver STAR (sustainability tracking, assessment and rating system) rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, according to its website. But Stolz encourages the student body and community to continue pushing for greener initiatives.

“We get a lot of credit for [the cogeneration plant] but now that we’ve expanded the campus, we could use some additional energy,” Stolz said. “If there are things that you feel that we should be doing and doing better for greater sustainability and climate action, the university will respond.”