Five things you can do to prevent climate change

Heavy rain and manhole covers blown off by the wind before crashing into the pavement as cars float through the streets of Chicago can cause people to think they’re a freak extra in an action movie. or … the end is near.

These terrifying scenes unfolding in Chicago recently seem pre-apocalyptic, but doomsday is not here yet. To stop this, sacrifices must be made, including our need for comfort and unwillingness to compromise for the good of humanity. If not people, life will certainly change as the voice of climate change is louder than we like.

Environmental activists are applauding Congress for legislative action to address alarming and deadly weather events around the world.

Recently, President Joe Biden labeled the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 as the most important climate change investment of our lifetime. The measure is set to address pollution emissions by providing tax credits to consumers for the purchase of electric vehicles and driving the switch from gas-fueled heaters and ovens to appliances. which is powered by electricity. But we can do more now while we wait for legislative measures to take effect.

An activist, Jack Darin of the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club, who has worked for about 33 years to inform lawmakers, recently shared that he supports the new action and labeled it “our only chance at the federal level” environmental matters.

Here are five things you can do today:

The use of fossil fuels is said to be the cause of the rise in global temperatures. Confronting our dependence on fossil fuels is likely to be uncomfortable, but the trade-off is a healthier planet. According to NASA, the current global temperature change since 2021 is 1.53 degrees warmer. The year 2020 tied with 2016 for the warmest year since records began in 1980, and according to NOAA, the nine years from 2013 to 2021 rank among the 10 warmest on record.

The first thing on our list is to address our means of transportation. One idea is to choose to use mass transit to reduce the number of cars on the roads. Besides using mass transit, places like Chicago have Divvy bike rentals.

A recent Tribune article points out that the number of Divvy bikes available to the public has decreased in recent months. However, electric bicycles and scooters are also available as alternatives. In addition to Divvy, Bobby’s Bike Hike offers electric bike rentals and is located at 540 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive in the heart of Chicago’s 20-mile bike trail.

“Young people have given us solutions to global warming by showing us how to have a better quality of life through exercise as a way to get around,” said Darin.

Buying local food helps reduce emissions from trucks used to ship products. Farmers markets are a great place to buy fruits, vegetables and some local dairy products. The executive director of Green City Market, Mandy Moody, says, “Get yourself here once and you’ll be hooked.”

Green City Market has been working since 1999 with sustainable farmers and food producers to provide fresh produce to Chicago. Farmers and producers from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan sell goods at Green City in Lincoln Park and the West Loop, Moody said.

Items offered have a shorter commute, from within a 120-mile radius of the city.

“All farmers are going through a vigorous review of their growing practices,” Moody said. “They feed us and protect the planet.”

The screening includes how they care for the land, making sure future generations can continue farming, and how they also care for the animals, according to Moody.

Farmers will be at the market to educate the public about what’s in season, and there will be chef demos. The farmers also teach shoppers about buying what’s in season, and how to properly store things to keep them fresh and nutritious.

The market has a triple Link program where if a shopper spends $25 in benefits they will receive $75 in total. By 2021, about 250,000 people will attend the Green City markets, Moody said.

Farmers markets run from April to November throughout the city.

Studies show that during heat waves the highest temperatures are often found in urbanized areas. This effect is due to asphalt and asphalt-filled spaces that mean less greenery.

Urban heat islands exist at many levels and not just in the upper atmosphere, according to a report from the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. They can also be at ground and street level.

Near-surface heat islands can affect human comfort, air quality, and energy use in buildings and vehicles. Atmospheric heat islands affect communities by increasing summer peak energy demand, changing electrical grid reliability, and increasing air conditioning costs, air pollution and GHG emissions as heat-related illness and death, and water quality issues, the report said.

Cordia Pugh, 69, moved from Chicago Heights (now known as Ford Heights), to Englewood on Sept. Emerald Ave. They were the fifth Black family of groundbreakers to move to Englewood before white flight took hold, Pugh said.

“Good things happen in this neighborhood,” Pugh said. “You can’t write us off.”

Pugh is the founder of the Hermitage Street Community Garden and the Veterans Garden, which are directly across from each other on Chicago’s South Side. The gardens provide veterans, seniors and families in need with fresh produce, and also serve as a haven that nurtures community relationships.

At gardens in Englewood and others across the city, low-income families with at-risk youth can have access to garden space for recreation and education. Elderly residents work with young people to cultivate plants. Not only do participants learn gardening skills – they provide fresh vegetables to veterans, seniors and families in need. They also learn to master sustainable, clean living while fighting against the chaos of heat wave incidents.

Besides promoting health, Englewood’s gardens are an example for other neighborhoods on how to combat violence. Pugh remembers seeing a shooting around 2014, but hasn’t witnessed one since, he said.

“A 7th District commander recently told me how the gardens have slowed down shootings in the area,” said Pugh, who retired from the MacArthur Foundation. “Because of our efforts, things are 100% better. I hope other neighborhoods follow our example. We have beautiful gardens, and gardens slow down violence.

All materials used in the gardens are donated by sponsors.

Various programs promote the planting of trees to combat global warming. The Canopy Project is one that looks to fill trees, which absorb carbon in the atmosphere.

During Earth Day around the world, people are encouraged to plant trees to reforest the earth, especially in communities that are at risk of climate change.

One Tree Planted, a nonprofit organization focused on global reforestation, reports that about 80,000 hectares of trees are destroyed every day through logging or burning. Trees are important to nature because they help filter the air we breathe, the water we drink and provide habitat for over 80% of life forms on earth, according to One Tree Planted.

The Chicago Botanic Garden has suggestions for those who have lost trees to the emerald ash borer for trees that have a greater chance of thriving through climate swings. A list of options can be found on its website under Trees for 2050.

Finally, save the energy used.

Darin of the Sierra Club said that practicing energy efficiency “is the easiest and cheapest way to combat global warming.” While credit incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, many Americans will be able to switch appliances for more energy efficient ones, he said.

But in the meantime, “While this subject is boring, more people need to practice how to use less energy to get the same job done,” says Darin.

Simply put, turn off or turn off that air unit when you’re cold, or turn off the lights when it’s sunny, and learn to manage without it.

dawilliams@chicagotribune.com