Albany is one of the fastest-warming cities in the U.S. What is the impact, and what can it do better?

ALBANY – If a lifetime resident of Albany complains that “it was never this hot” while they were growing up in the Good Life City, they’re probably right. 

On a list of the fastest-warming U.S. cities, Albany ranked sixth, listed alongside hot, desert climates like Las Vegas, Nev., and El Paso, Texas. The annual Earth Day analysis put out by Climate Central, a nonpartisan group of climate scientists, reported that Albany’s average annual temperature rose 5.1 degrees from 1970 to 2024. The average temperature rise of the 242 cities analyzed was 2.9 degrees. 

This places southwest Georgia’s hub in a precarious position as a city with a poverty rate more than double Georgia’s and a population that is 85% African American. Those who have historically experienced injustice are the most at risk when it comes to climate change and its impacts as they lack the resources for resilience in the face of climate change’s impacts. 

“We want people to understand that we’re not just seeing warming in some far-off place, like the Arctic,” Kaitlyn Trudeau, Climate Central’s senior research associate, said. “We’re seeing warming in our own backyards, and these have real consequences for our health, our economy and our environment.” 

Why is Albany getting warmer?

Albany’s warming isn’t abnormal for the southeastern U.S.. The Southeast as a whole had its fifth-warmest year last year in the last 130 years. The state had its second-warmest year. 

However, Pam Knox, the director of the UGA Weather Network and an agricultural climatologist, said Albany’s warming isn’t representative of Georgia’s southwest, which has gone up about 3 degrees since 1970. 

“I think part of what we’re seeing with that temperature record is just the growth of Albany,” she said. “You see how much building is going on. … Albany’s a lot more spread out than it used to be. Pavement contributes to … its own urban heat island that has caused temperatures in Albany to rise faster than the cropland that’s around it.” 

Albany’s population also had a boom from 1970 to the 1990s; although, it has declined by almost 30,000 since 2000. 

Knox pointed out that the Clean Air Act took effect in 1970, which cleared coal dust that had traveled from the Midwest to the atmosphere in the Southeast. 

“The atmosphere over the Southeast got clearer, and because it was clearer, more sunlight could get to the ground and temperatures started to rise,” Knox said. 

Albany falls behind in sustainability

In an effort to escape the increasingly harsh outside elements, homeless Albany residents have created unofficial shelters from extreme temperatures.  They seek relief in the public libraries or Albany’s new Transportation Center. The center opens its doors Monday through Saturday from 5:30 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. 

“Last summer, it was very hot,” David Hamilton, Albany’s Transit System director said. “We had people come in various parts of the day that would sit there all day basically to stay out of the heat until we closed.” 

The city operates after-hours warming and cooling centers at the Transportation Center when temperatures reach certain extremes. Hamilton said as many as 50 people gathered in the center for warmth in the winter months. The city had to open a second location to accommodate everyone. Albany also hosts Operation Safe Place, opening locations like the Albany Civic Center, Henderson Gym and public libraries for shelter when the heat index reaches dangerous temperatures. 

However, when it comes to preventative sustainability measures, Janet Miller, the Electric Transportation Manager for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said Albany lags behind.  

Miller said the city lacks clear sustainability-focused or clean energy plans within its city government. Building codes without an emphasis on energy efficiency, a lack of tree cover and green space, and even an indirect recycling system, where residents have to go to drop-off locations to recycle, are just some of the issues Miller named. 

Aunquarius Brown-Reed, the climate, utilities and environmental justice organizer for local advocacy group, SOWEGA Rising, said these issues impact Albany’s marginalized communities disproportionately. He said the parts of Albany more populated by its black or lower-income residents tend to have less tree coverage and older, energy inefficient homes.

Miller said this makes for vulnerable populations in Albany.

“A lot of the black people who live on … the south side, the east side, they live in older homes, and a lot of them are renting, or they own a home, and they’ve never done any energy efficiency because they don’t know about it or they don’t have the funds,” Miller said. “So they are cranking up their air conditioning.” 

She said this not only creates more emissions, but also leads to higher energy costs. 

“It’s just exacerbating problems that were already there,” Miller said. “Those vulnerable communities, they don’t have the resources … to buy another home somewhere … or put all this money into redoing their home. They can barely afford their utilities. They can barely afford their rent. They can barely get by day to day.”

Extreme heat also creates a public health issue. The World Health Organization reported that heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths and can exacerbate underlying illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and asthma. 

Within one week in June 2022, Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler reported four possible heat-related deaths; although, he said his office hasn’t seen any in more recent years. 

Albany’s Mayor, Bo Dorough, said he’s been an advocate for reducing Albany’s carbon footprint, but not everything gets approved in the city’s commission. He said the city has made some changes, including introducing hybrid vehicles for city employees and local law enforcement. 

About two years ago, Albany Utilities began rolling out its weatherization project, which offers assistance for homeowners to receive energy-efficient weatherization repairs and upgrades.  A couple of hundred homeowners have applied for the program. 

As Albany works to revitalize its downtown, Dorough said there will be opportunities for sustainability. One of these opportunities is by renovating older buildings with C-PACE loans, which make it possible for commercial property owners to obtain low-cost, long-term financing for ener­gy efficiency, water conservation, and renewable energy projects. Most commercial property types qualify for C-PACE financing.

“I think that’s something developers will take advantage of in the years to come, possibly even at the Hotel Gordon,” Dorough said. 

He said another issue is that Albany’s downtown was built up with asphalt and concrete, leading to more heat trapping. Dorough said downtown revitalization plans include a Central Commons with a large, greenspace. 

“I know Albany really has the urge to become a bigger, more recognized city,” Miller said. “They have to start getting with the program because … the thing about climate change is no matter what you believe in, the climate is changing. It’s getting hotter outside. Albany doesn’t usually experience six or seven inches of snow. We saw Hurricane Michael in Albany. How are we going to mitigate those problems?”

Miller said Georgia Power offers a number of rebates and incentives for energy-efficient home upgrades.

Brown-Reed said he hopes this analysis is a call to action to make the community more aware of the risks and to get the city on board with climate-safe practices. He said creating a city sustainability office would be a good first step, something that other Georgia cities implemented years ago.

“Having something like that in place with our local city and county government and having the community involved … and different agencies and nonprofits … to create a better Albany,” Brown-Reed said. “We have a lot of silos here in Albany, but I believe we (can) come to the table, even if our ideas are different … and meet in the middle.”