Conscious Choice: Chicago’s Climate Change

August 2007 | From the Commish

Chicago’s Climate Change

Strategy & Implementation

By Sadhu A. Johnston

Dear Commish: Climate change and global warming have become very popular topics of discussion. What has the City been doing to address the issue?

Cold winters and humid summers in Chicago would seem to describe the general weather patterns that we experience year in, year out. There are exceptions of course, such as a 60 degree day in January or a cool July afternoon. One thing is sure: the Earth is experiencing some extreme climate changes that we must take seriously. Climate researchers predict that Chicago’s climate over the next few decades will grow increasingly hotter.

We must all begin to think of what those changes would mean for our citizens, especially the young and elderly, our infrastructure, energy supply, and businesses.

These are serious issues facing Chicago and, indeed, all cities. In many ways, the work the City’s been doing to green our fleets, improve energy efficiency, do more native planting and promote transit and alternative transportation, are part of an answer to climate change. But we wanted to take a more systematic look at the potential impacts of climate change on Chicago and, more importantly, what we could do — residents and businesses together — to not only address the foreseen changes, but use those changes to create new jobs and technologies.

That’s why the City is developing a Chicago Climate Agenda. In partnership with the Global Philanthropy Partnership and with the generous support of The Joyce Foundation, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, the Grand Victoria Foundation and the Clinton Foundation, we’ve been able to engage three research teams to answer the following questions:

1. We know Chicago will be hotter and dryer, but what will be the specific impacts on the City in terms of our infrastructure, buildings, energy, food and water supplies, ecosystems and emergency services? Professor Don Wuebbles from the University of Illinois and Professor Katheryn Hayhoe from Texas Tech are leading this team.

2. What are Chicago’s current baseline emissions and where are the best opportunities to reduce those emissions? As you can see on the chart (previous page), the majority of the emissions come from transportation and energy. We collected more than 200 mitigation strategies to identify the best options to reduce those emissions, from weatherizing homes to using more alternative fuels. The Center for Neighborhood Technology leads this effort.

3. What are the economic impacts of action? The financial consulting firm of Oliver Wyman is doing this analysis for the City on a pro bono basis. Understanding the potential costs of cracking building facades or water pipes will be critical in helping us identify short and long-term actions.

We’re on a fast track — research teams will conclude their efforts by mid-August and we’ll announce the Chicago Climate Strategy and Implementation Plan in the fall. In August and September, we’re asking community organizations to host meetings about climate change. If you’re interested, email the Dept. of Environment and indicate “climate change” in the subject line. We’ll provide you with background materials and questions to ask participants. We’re hoping to engage thousands of residents through this process to understand what’s most important to Chicagoans and how the Climate Change Strategy can be of most use to them.

Climate change will affect us all, which is why we all must work together to address it. The “Take 5 Environmental Pledge” is a great place to start for anyone looking to minimize their impact on our environment and natural resources (cityofchicago/environment).

The Chicago Climate Agenda will enable us to take proactive steps to combat climate change by understanding its key sources and impacts. The changes we institute today will make a difference in our City, our country and our world for generations to come.

On Wednesday, August 22, the Illinois Science Council, the Chicago DOE and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will present a free screening of An Inconvenient Truth at sundown in Grant Park’s Butler Field. Hope to see you there!

Sadhu A. Johnston is commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Environment.

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