Global warming affects Illinois

This week the chief of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change criticized G8 participants for ignoring the IPCC's scientific findings and for not doing what science says is necessary to stop global warming.

Global warming is already impacting us in Illinois. With floodwaters destroying our farm lands and flooding our cities, and mild winters changing robin and bee habits in the Midwest it's clear global warming is already right in our backyards. Troubling changes like these are happening all over the world, and scientists warn they will only get worse until we get serious about cutting global warming pollution.

President Obama recently met with his counterparts from the world's richest nations to develop an international agreement to tackle the crisis. There was lots of talk, and they acknowledged the urgency of the challenge we face. What they didn't do was make a plan to stop it. The head of the Nobel Prize-winning U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change criticized this failure, saying world leaders should have listened to the science and agreed to cut pollution at least 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

Volunteers with Greenpeace from across Illinois are echoing the sentiments of the scientists by getting petitions signed to Obama, asking him to take the lead. President Obama has spoken eloquently on the challenge and opportunities of tackling the climate crisis. But what the people of all nations need now is action, not words.

Nicole Granacki

Illinois Greenpeace Field Organizer

Chicago