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.”
Read more »