Environment

Climate news, including natural resources, endangered species, sustainability and conservation in Chicago.

Archer Courts, 2242 S. Princeton Ave., will soon get a new hot water system, ventilation system and rooftop solar panels through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Doctors say looking at the April 8 eclipse without approved solar glasses — which are many times darker than sunglasses — can lead to retinal burns and can result in blind spots and permanent vision loss.
The city of Chicago has worked for years on building design standards that prevent fatal crashes of migratory birds. Making those standards optional for builders is a problem, bird lovers say.
Seldovia, the Shedd’s latest otter, was saved by the Alaska SeaLife Center last October near the city of Seldovia.
Damage includes downed light pole, Cook County power outage amid recorded winds of 74 mph, the National Weather Service said.
Rain will be accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds that could reach up to 30 miles an hour, the National Weather Service. Temperatures Wednesday and Thursday will be in the 40s.
The governor wants a better deal that would leave the door open for more federal funding and an incremental construction process, records show.
Now that spring has officially sprung, come concerns the dreaded spotted lanternfly, a colorful leafhopper from China, is expected to add to our troubles. The invasive pests damage fruit, ornamental and woody trees by draining them of their health, causing stress and depriving them of their vitality.
Marlene Hopkins was the city official in charge of reviewing plans for the 2020 Crawford coal plant implosion that ended up blanketing the Southwest Side community in dust.
Illinois has the most operating nuclear reactors among all the states, but it’s been crickets from public officials on the potential weakening of nuclear oversight.
Enbridge’s Line 5 oil and gas pipeline trespasses through sovereign tribal lands and is an environmental disaster waiting to happen, Ben Jealous writes.
In all, 129,000 children, 68% of those 5 or younger, had lead in their home drinking water, a study found.
The Chicago area will experience a partial eclipse on April 8. Downstate, Carbondale will be in the path of totality, in which the view of the moon completely blocks the sun, for the second time in 10 years.
“This is what the community really asked for,” Ald. Walter Burnett said of improvements coming to Touhy-Herbert Park.
Illinois is meeting the state’s electricity demand now. But the need is there to ramp up renewable energy projects, here and across the nation. One reason: the growth of artificial intelligence, AI.
Illinois needs to join the partnership to build barriers and stop invasive carp from traveling from the Mississippi River Basin into the Great Lakes.
The addition of the long-abandoned and contaminated Acme Steel plant’s land to the government’s priority cleanup list offers hope of a conversion to a park or other place for recreation.
Burning gas in our homes for heating and cooking poses significant health risks, especially for Black and Brown communities, a Chicago pastor writes.