In 1984 I drove into Chicago in a VW bus to move there for post-graduate school. As night fell, and I approached the city from the southeast, a storm bigger than any I had ever seen enveloped me, turning the sky an intense green (I had always assumed that was just a nonsensical saying, or at most an exaggeration. Nope, neither. Green.) Lightning flashed 360 degrees around me and all around the city. More than a few big pieces of detritus flew across and along the road, some hitting the sides of the bus, and I had a moment wondering if the bus would be one of the airborne objects, and if I should turn around. But I was completely surrounded by the storm, and the view all around me was so spectacular I soon forgot that and eventually arrived after a thrilling ride.
I’ve thought of that night often recently. Hotter water in the lake increasing rainfall from big storms; hotter land and air decreasing soil moisture and plant cover… heat waves worse than a couple I experienced while living there… climate catastrophe is making life worse for people in Chicago as it is everywhere.
Climate relief may not be your greatest concern in Chicago. The increasing presence of ICE agents also needs to be factored in.
https://youtu.be/OWAwo4iux9g?si=4bmJ7P-5TBVIzrV_
In 1984 I drove into Chicago in a VW bus to move there for post-graduate school. As night fell, and I approached the city from the southeast, a storm bigger than any I had ever seen enveloped me, turning the sky an intense green (I had always assumed that was just a nonsensical saying, or at most an exaggeration. Nope, neither. Green.) Lightning flashed 360 degrees around me and all around the city. More than a few big pieces of detritus flew across and along the road, some hitting the sides of the bus, and I had a moment wondering if the bus would be one of the airborne objects, and if I should turn around. But I was completely surrounded by the storm, and the view all around me was so spectacular I soon forgot that and eventually arrived after a thrilling ride.
I’ve thought of that night often recently. Hotter water in the lake increasing rainfall from big storms; hotter land and air decreasing soil moisture and plant cover… heat waves worse than a couple I experienced while living there… climate catastrophe is making life worse for people in Chicago as it is everywhere.