Prairie Rivers Network hosted Coffee with the State Climatologist on October 4, 2023 as part of Climate Action Week in Champaign County. Over 25 people joined us in the PRN office and 30 people tuned in on Zoom. Dr. Trent Ford has been the Illinois State Climatologist since 2019 and is an expert in climate and climate change, especially as it relates to water. He leads climate monitoring and data collection for the state of Illinois. Trent gave a presentation about climate change in Illinois which was followed by a brief presentation by PRN’s Amanda Pankau about our climate and energy work.
Event Highlights
Check out some of the highlights and key takeaways from Trent and Amanda’s presentations at the event!
Trent Ford’s Presentation
- Illinois has already gotten warmer and wetter over the last 150 years. Those trends will continue in the future with warmer temperatures, extreme summer heat, and an overall increase in precipitation that often comes as heavy rain with longer dry spells.
- The impacts of climate change disproportionately fall on those who have contributed the least to climate change. Trent’s presentation consistently reminded us that vulnerable populations will experience the worst impacts of climate change, worsening existing inequities in housing, food and water access, healthcare, and more.
- Trent offered solutions at the global, national, local, and personal level for climate mitigation and adaptation. Climate mitigation refers to actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while adaptation refers to actions that manage the risks of climate change impacts.
Amanda Pankau’s Presentation
- State and federal laws like the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act have given us tools to lower emissions, transition to clean energy, build more climate resilient communities, and clean up the legacy pollution of the past. PRN is working to ensure people, schools, and communities are poised to take advantage of these opportunities.
- Further action is needed to meet the US’s Paris Agreement Pledge for emissions reductions. We must continue to demand climate action at the state and federal level and PRN is working with our partners at the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition on state climate and clean energy legislation.
- Prairie Rivers Network welcomes everyone to get involved through a variety of ways:
- Donate or become a member.
- Sign up for our bimonthly e-news.
- Take action on an action alert.
- Interact with and share our social media posts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
- Talk to your neighbors and community leaders about climate, clean energy, pesticide pollution, river health, and more.
- Attend events.
- Join us for Lobby Day in Springfield every Spring.
In Case You Missed It
If you weren’t able to join us in person or on Zoom, you can watch the presentation here (please note the recording begins about 1 minute into Dr. Ford’s remarks). You can also view Dr. Ford’s slides here and PRN’s Amanda Pankau’s slides here.
You can also read this great coverage of the event from Contributing Writer Nina Athanasopoulos of The Daily Illini.
