Illinois is “leading the charge” for clean technology deployment in the country, according to a new report from Clean Edge, a research and advisory firm dedicated to energy efficient and environmentally friendly industries, policies and applications.
The firm’s inaugural U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index
report, released Tuesday, ranked Illinois’ clean-tech marketplace as
8th in the nation for strong policies that reduce the state’s environmental footprint.
“The clean-tech sector is the critical industry for economic leadership and economic development in the 21st century,” said Clint Wilder, senior editor of Clean Edge and co-author of the report. “If
you want to plan for the future at all, it’s important to establish
leadership and establish your state as one of the clean-tech hubs in the
U.S., and I think Illinois has done a very good job of that.”
On the heels of President Barack Obama's progressive inaugural speech, a new CNN/ORC poll found that Americans support the President's plans of including a path to citizenship in immigration reform, but are split on the issue of climate change.
The National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC) is calling on President Barack Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address air pollution and the health hazards associated with it.
The group sent a letter to the President and the EPA asking for stronger carbon emission standards for coal-fired power plants. The coalition noted that the Latino community is especially vulnerable to such emissions since half of its U.S. population lives in counties where there are violations in clean air standards.
A winter season that has thus far been defined by a record number of
snowless days and unseasonably warm temperatures has experts, advocates
and some of Illinois’ newly-elected congressional lawmakers raising
concerns over the kind of impact such conditions will ultimately have on
the environment.
At 320 days, Chicago broke a 72-year record last week for the consecutive number of days without an inch of snowfall, the
impact of which has already resulted in record low water levels in
Lake Michigan and parts of the Mississippi River, according to Natural Resources Defense Council spokesman Josh Mogerman.
“There’s
a new normal, and we have to start being cognizant of the change going
on around us,” Mogerman said. “There are things going on around us
right now in this moment that are really clear and clarion calls for
paying attention and making clear that climate change has already begun
and we need to address it.”
Efforts are underway in Chicago and across the state to inform
citizens on the importance of being prepared for emergencies and the potential future effects of climate change, among other crises. We take a look at some of the latest efforts.
Illinois is “leading the charge” for clean technology deployment in the country, according to a 
The National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC) is calling on President Barack Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address air pollution and the health hazards associated with it.
A winter season that has thus far been defined by a record number of
snowless days and unseasonably warm temperatures has experts, advocates
and some of Illinois’ newly-elected congressional lawmakers raising
concerns over the kind of impact such conditions will ultimately have on
the environment.
