CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- On this Earth Day, Chicago's mayor is outlining planned steps to make the city more environmentally friendly.
She said the city needs to tackle some major issues related to the environment including rising lake levels, generating excessive waste and filling up landfills, and carbon emissions.
"Where do we generate the most carbon?" From our buildings-so we've got to do more to make sure we're retrofitting them."
Reducing emissions by 62 percent by 2040 is a key component of Chicago's 2022 Climate Action Plan which Lightfoot said will be released next week.
"We are investing $188 million in equity-focused climate and environmental programs spanning everything from building energy retrofits to the expansion of our air quality monitoring network," Lightfoot said.
The planting of 75,000 trees across the city will also be included as an investment.
"Trees are essential in addressing the effects of climate change," Lightfoot said.
Stefan Schaffer, Senior Director, Strategy and Operations at the Natural Resources Defense Council weighed in on the plan.
“Cities like Chicago are already feeling the impacts of the climate crisis, and frontline communities bear the greatest burden,” he said.
“This plan brought together voices from across the city to face the threat of climate change and is a big step forward despite the many challenges that lie ahead. We have no time to lose and the only way that Chicago will remain a climate leader is by relying on the strengths of our communities to develop long-lasting, transformative solutions.”
Related
