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Learn More About Climate Change
Credit: Field Museum
This video is from the Chicago Community Climate Action Toolkit, which was collaboratively produced by many partners with direction by the Field Museum.
What is Climate Change?
Atmospheric gases that trap heat radiated from the Earth’s surface are called greenhouse gases. They include:
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
CO2 is a byproduct of burning fossil fuels. It is removed from the atmosphere when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle.
METHANE
Methane is released by agricultural sources, including livestock, as well as the decay of organic waste in landfills.
NITROUS OXIDE
Nitrous oxide emissions occur during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as fossil fuel and solid waste combustion.
Increasing rates of deforestation and development, as well as agriculture, waste treatment and industrial processes, have produced growing amounts of greenhouse gases. Because of these increases in heat-trapping gases, average temperatures are projected to increase by 1 to 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit over the next few decades, reaching unacceptable levels in this century.
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything we need for our survival and well-being depends on our natural environment.
Living sustainably means reducing waste. It means protecting local ecosystems and preserving natural resources like water, green space, and clean air. With global climate change posing a dangerous threat to our natural environment, we must adopt more sustainable practices to ensure our well-being and the well-being of future generations.
What’s At Stake?
In Chicago alone, average temperatures have already risen by 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit since 1980. Fifteen of the last twenty years have seen above-average annual temperatures. Without rapid action, the city could experience more extreme heat, heavier, more damaging rainstorms, growing flood risks, and greater stress on public health, city infrastructure and city services.
AGRICULTURE
Migrating seasons and extreme weather can have disastrous effects on agriculture, such as:
- Increased pests, weeds, and fungi
- Decreased crop yields and food supply
- Lowered nutritional value
- Job loss and weakened economy
- Threats to food security, especially in low-income countries
COMMUNITY HEALTH
Climate change affects human health and society, including:
- Prolonged allergy seasons
- Changes in Lyme disease and West Nile virus
- Heat-related deaths and hospitalizations
- Increased asthma rates
- Increased stress on public health systems
GREAT LAKES
The impact of climate change on the Great Lakes may include:
- Changes to the distribution and range of certain fish species
- Increase in invasive species
- Increase in harmful blooms of algae
- Declining beach health and infrastructure
OCEANS
Covering about 70% of the Earth’s surface, the world’s oceans have a two-way relationship with weather and climate. The oceans influence the weather on local to global scales, while changes in climate can fundamentally alter many properties of the oceans, such as:
- Increasing acidity
- Loss of ice in the Arctic Ocean
- Rising sea levels
Why Now?
We cannot afford to do nothing. It’s time to take action. Anticipated climate change risks include:
- Migrating seasons, with more extreme heat days in the summer and warmer winters
- Increasing numbers of intense, heavy rainstorms
- Periods of drought
- Coastal erosion
- Growing flood risk
- Significant harm to local ecosystems
Goals for a Green Chicago
Chicago has long been a leader in green initiatives
We’ve articulated specific, measurable goals and objectives for securing a safer, more sustainable future.