>> CHICAGO IS GETTING HOTTER,
CHICAGO IS GETTING WETTER.
AND SO ARE CITY OFFICIALS
ADEQUATELY CONFRONTING CLIMATE
CHANGE?
CAROL MARIN AND STUDENTS AT
DePAUL UNIVERSITY'S CENTER FOR
JOURNALISM, INTEGRITY AND
EXCELLENCE HAVE SPENT MONTHS
DIGGING INTO THAT QUESTION AND
CAROL MARIN JOINS US NOW.
WELCOME BACK GOOD TO SEE YOU.
PROMISES HAVE BEEN MADE ACROSS
THE ADMINISTRATIONS OF THREE
MAYORS OUR STUDENTS ANALYZED
HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF CITY
RECORDS, LOOKED AT POLICY
PROPOSALS AND SPOKE WITH CLIMATE
SPECIALISTS AND COMMUNITY
LEADERS.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
PROMISES ARE EASY TO MAKE BUT
DESPERATELY HARD TO KEEP.
>> LET'S START WITH THIS
PROMISE.
IN 2008 THE CITY PROPOSED TO
PLANT A MILLION TREES BY 2020.
IT WAS PART OF A BOLD AND
RADICAL PLAN TO HELP REDUCE THE
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
BUT CITY DATA OBTAINED THROUGH
OUR OPEN RECORDS REQUEST, SHOW
THAT FAILED.
ACCORDING TO CITY DOCUMENTS IN
12 YEARS, JUST 77,000 TREES WERE
PLANTED.
NOT A MILLION.
IN THE END, THE CITY REACHED
LESS THAN 10% OF ITS STATED
GOAL.
THIS MAP WE CREATED BASED ON
CITY PROVIDED DATA DEPICTS WHERE
TREES WERE PLANTED AND SHOWS
MOST ENDED UP IN PREDOMINANTLY
WHITE WARDS ON THE NORTH SIDE
THE LEAST NUMBER OF TREES WERE
PLANTED IN THE PREDOMINANTLY
HISPANIC 22 WARD ON THE
SOUTHWEST SIDE WHICH INCLUDES
LITTLE VILLAGE.
260 TREES THERE.
ANGELA TOVAR IS MAYOR
LIGHTFOOT'S POINT PERSON FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT.
>> IF YOU ARE A HOMEOWNER YOU
CAN CALL 3-1-1 AND REQUEST A
TREE IS PLANTED IN YOUR
COMMUNITY.
TYPICALLY MORE AFFLUENT
COMMUNITIES HAVE USED THAT
RESOURCE THE MOST.
PERHAPS THE PROGRAM OR THE
VISIBILITY OF THE PROBLEM WAS
NOT APPLIED EQUITABLY IN THE
PAST.
WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
CHANGE THAT.
>> IN 2008, MAYOR RICHARD M.
DALEY UNVEILED THE CHICAGO
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
60 PAGES OF OBJECTIVES AIMED AT
REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS
EMISSIONS AND FLOODING IN PART
BY PLANTING THE ONE MILLION
TREES.
>> THE GOALS WERE I'D SAY A LOT
WERE DASHED.
>> SUZANNE McKENNA WAS A
COAUTHOR OF THE 2008 PLAN.
>> WE HAD 72 ACTIONS AMIDST FIVE
DIFFERENT CATEGORIES RENEWABLE
ENERGY, WASTE AND INDUSTRIAL
POLLUTION.
>> SHE BECAME THE CITY'S
COMMISSIONER OF ENVIRONMENT IN
THE DALEY ADMINISTRATION.
OVERSEEING THE CLIMATE ACTION
PLAN.
BUT...
>> THAT CAME TO A CRASHING HALT
WHEN THE NEW MAYOR CAME ALONG.
>> THE NEW MAYOR WAS RAHM
EMANUEL.
WHO ELIMINATED THE CITY'S
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT
ARGUING THERE WERE MORE FISCALLY
SOUND AND EFFICIENT WAYS TO
ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE,
INCLUDING HE TOLD US, SHUTTERING
COAL-FIRED PLANTS BY USING OTHER
EXISTING CITY DEPARTMENTS.
BUT ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVE KIM
WASSERMAN SAYS HER COMMUNITY IS
FRUSTRATED BY EVERY MAYOR FROM
DALEY TO RAHM EMANUEL AND NOW
LORI LIGHTFOOT WHEN IT COMES TO
COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY.
>> WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE REFORMS.
IT HAS NOT HAPPENED.
>> WASSERMAN HEAD OF THE LITTLE
VILLAGE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
ORGANIZATION IS PARTICULARLY
DISTRESSED ABOUT FLOODING.
WHY IS FLOODING A PROBLEM?
>> WHEN IT RAINS YOU HAVE
INTERSECTIONS, CROSSWALKS, HOUSE
BASEMENTS THAT ARE CONTINUALLY
FLOODING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THESE HOMEOWNERS ARE FEELING IT
BECAUSE THEY ARE SEEING MORE AND
MORE FLOODS IN THEIR LIVING
SPACES ON A REGULAR BASIS.
>> THE CITY ACKNOWLEDGES THERE
IS NOT YET A CITY SPONSORED
SOLUTION TO THAT PERSISTENT
PROBLEM FOR HOMEOWNERS.
>> SO WE DO NOT HAVE A PROGRAM
RIGHT NOW.
WHAT WE CAN DO IS CONTINUE TO
PUSH FOR THAT PROGRAM WHICH IS
WHY WE'VE DEDICATED THAT MONEY
THROUGH OUR BUDGET INVESTMENTS
NOW.
>> WASSERMAN SAYS SHE HAS A GOOD
WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH ANGELA
TOVAR, NONETHELESS...
>> THEY CAN HEAR US ALL THEY
WANT BUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY
TAKE ACTION IS A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT THING.
>> WE WANT TO WORK WITH
COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND LEADERS TO
EVALUATE HOW WE CAN BEST SERVE
PEOPLE ON THE ENVIRONMENT.
>> THIS FALL MAYOR LORI
LIGHTFOOT ALLOCATED $188 MILLION
TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE IN HER
2022 BUDGET.
>> REPRESENTS THE LARGEST ONE
TIME INVESTMENT IN CLIMATE
MITIGATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE PRIORITIES IN THE CITY'S
HISTORY.
>> FRONT AND CENTER IN THAT NEW
BUDGET, ARE TREES.
AS IT WAS IN THE DALEY
ADMINISTRATION.
LIGHTFOOT IS PROPOSING 75,000
NEW TREES IN THE NEXT FIVE
YEARS.
STILL, THERE ARE MANY OTHER
CLIMATE CHALLENGES.
IN LATE OCTOBER, THE CITY WAS
BATTERED BY HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY
RAIN.
MANY SCIENTISTS WORRY CHICAGO IS
GETTING WETTER AND WARMER
INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF
ENVIRONMENTAL EXTREMES.
>> NEAR TERM THE FLOODING AND
HEATWAVES I WORRY ABOUT.
>> THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS IS
ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S TOP CLIMATE
SCIENTISTS.
>> THERE IS NO QUESTION THIS IS
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES
FACING HUMANITY AND CHICAGO
NEEDS TO KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH
THE FUTURE.
>> WE COULD HAVE 30 DAYS OF 100°
TEMPERATURE AND 90 DAYS OF 90°
TEMPERATURE BY 2070.
IMAGINE THAT ON OUR REGION?
MORE AIR-CONDITIONING THERE'S
ALL THE DIFFERENT ISSUES.
>> MAYORS COME AND GO.
AND SO DO AMBITIOUS PLANS.
SCIENTISTS SAY IF ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY DOES NOT BECOME
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, THE EFFECTS
OF CLIMATE CHANGE WILL ONLY
WORSEN.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHETHER PLANTING
A MILLION TREES IS THE RIGHT
GOAL OR NOT.
WE NEED TO HAVE A SERIES OF
GOALS THAT ALLOW US TO MEET
THOSE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION
RESPONSES THAT WE NEED TO BE
DOING.
>> ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC?
PESSIMISTIC?
>> I SERIOUSLY BELIEVE WE AS
HUMANS KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH
SERIOUS PROBLEMS WE'VE SHOWN
THAT IN THE PAST.
SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO BE KICKED
HARD TO DO IT.
>> IN SEPTEMBER, GOVERNOR
PRITZKER SIGNED A LAW TO
ELIMINATE CARBON EMISSIONS BY
2050.
MAYOR LIGHTFOOT HAS ADDED HER
NAME TO A REGIONAL CLIMATE
CHANGE INITIATIVE.
BRANDIS.
>> AND MAYOR LIGHTFOOT
CAMPAIGNED ON RESTORING THE
DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
WHERE DOES THAT STAND?
>> WELL, SO FAR SHE HAS NOT DONE
SO.
ANGELA TOVAR SAYS IT REMAINS A
GOAL BUT IT IS AN UNREALIZED
GOAL.
AND ONE FINAL NOTE WE HAVE TO
THANK BEN WELCH A FORMER
DePAUL GRADUATE THAT HELPED US
WITH DATA SURVEYING WITH OUR
STUDENTS HAS GONE THROUGH THE
DATA ANALYSIS.
BEN IS A PULITZER PRIZE WINNING
DATA SPECIALIST FROM THE "L.A.
TIMES".