Can reform of energy permitting bring back the white Christmas?
When Bing Crosby recorded Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” some 80 years ago, our dreams of holiday snow usually came true.
In 1942, the year Crosby popularized the perennial holiday favorite, more than 45 inches of snow fell on Chicago during that winter season. Lately, our hopes have been dashed, though, as merely an inch or two of snow has arrived at Christmastime. In fact, the December snowfall for the past three years (2020-23) totaled just 7.9 inches, with 2021 recording the lowest of the three at 1.9 inches, according to the National Weather Service data.
Whether sledding at Cricket Field in Lincoln Park, shushing along the Lakefront trail on cross-country skis, or simply building a snow fort in a suburban backyard, we in the Chicago area enjoy snowy outdoor activities, which can be a balm for the traffic jams, icy sidewalks and school closures that come with several inches or more of snow. Many locals like me also travel out West to snowboard or ski on some of the best mountain terrain in the world.
Unfortunately, these activities are becoming more memories than reality — a trend that will continue unless we take bold climate action.
It’s no longer debatable that a warming planet caused by carbon pollution is impacting snow cover, not just here but worldwide. Scientists have observed a substantial loss of snow across the world’s mountains. It’s particularly troubling for North America’s $79 billion ski industry, which depends on a consistent snow pack and continues to suffer from shorter seasons.
A 2024 study by researchers at Germany’s Bayreuth University reports that ski resorts will see significantly less snowpack this century as the earth warms. It says that natural snow cover at 13% of ski resorts worldwide could disappear completely within 50 to 75 years. By 2071-2100, average annual snow cover days were predicted to decline by 42% in the European Alps, 37% in the Appalachians and 23% in the Rocky Mountains as the earth’s atmosphere continues to warm up.
The quickest route to a more stable climate is to boost clean, reliable energy across the nation’s electrical grid by improving energy permitting. We’re already seen some of the biggest clean energy investments in U.S. history take hold with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act. These programs are helping to transform the U.S. energy network with more wind, solar and other forms of clean energy to replace the use of fossil fuels.
But there is a missing piece. Without reforming our permitting processes for these and other energy projects, we won’t be able to reduce carbon emissions enough to meet the U.S. goal of getting to net-zero emissions by 2050. Last year, lawmakers passed some permitting reform measures, but that was just a small piece of what is needed. We still need to boost transmission projects and improve early community involvement. The Energy Permitting Reform Act that was introduced in the U.S. Senate will help.
New research by experts at Princeton Zero Lab, Resources for the Future, Third Way, and the Rocky Mountain Institute shows that the bill, S. 4753, will significantly reduce climate pollution — from 10% to 25% between 2030 and 2050. One of the best ways to reduce emissions is to build clean energy faster. This legislation, if passed, will do just that.
As we in the Chicago area see snowflakes and sugarplums dancing in their heads this holiday season they should take a moment to call or write to their representatives in Washington, D.C., during the lame duck session. Ask them to pass the Energy Permitting Reform Act — the biggest opportunity to cut climate pollution in the immediate future. It’s a clear path to a whiter Christmas for our kids and grandkids, and for generations to come.
• Joe Tedino, of Chicago, is a volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, an environmental advocacy group.