Climate Change: Chicago's "Cool Globes" Exhibit

Many U.S. Cities Are Addressing Global Warming

If you're still skeptical about how serious the climate change issue really is, check out these recent article headlines about the environment at New Scientist magazine's website:

• Freak Winter Is Europe's Warmest In 700 Years
• Global Warming Will Increase World Death Rate
• Rising Sea Levels Could Divide and Conquer Antarctic Ice
• How the Obesity Epidemic Is Aggravating Global Warming
• Angry Shareholders Urge Exxon to Get Green
• Bush Claims His Policies Led to Emissions Drop
• Global Warming Is Shrinking the Great Lakes

Climate Change Makes Beach Life a Bummer
Any one of those headlines alone is alarming, but the last point? That the largest freshwater resource in the world, the Great Lakes system, is "under the weather" should serve as a major wake-up call for those who live in or near Detroit, Grand Rapids, Toledo, Buffalo, Rochester, Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago. The Great Lakes are far more than a source of fun and recreation, they support economic development throughout this vast region shared by two countries and also supply several million people with basic drinking water.

Chicago in fact -- where beautiful Lake Michigan stretches from one end of the city to the other -- has seen an alarming number of beach closings this summer, due to dangerously high E. coli bacteria counts in the water. Well, the beaches aren't completely "closed," as families can still flock to them -- but only to enjoy the sun and sand.

Several times already this season, TV news and other Chicago area media have blared warnings that Lake Michigan beach-lovers should not dip as much as a toe in those serene, blue waters. City officials attribute this fourfold increase in the number of beach closings primarily to unusually high temperatures and periods of excessive rain. There's also a bit of a problem with sea gull waste at many Chicago beaches.