Climate change is expected to bring more severe weather, increased crop yields and a longer Great Lakes shipping season to Illinois and the Midwest, the White House said Tuesday in its report on global warming.
The report, which called out the region for higher-than-average greenhouse gas emissions, included specific projections for the Midwest that warned of noticeable changes to weather patterns that could affect agriculture and trade. The government report outlined short- and long-term implications and possible solutions to climate change nationally.
Midwesterners have already felt effects of the global warming pattern, the report said. Average temperatures for the eight-state region have been up in recent years, it said, and ice cover on the Great Lakes has been trending downward.
If projections hold, the report said average summer temperatures in northern Illinois later this century could be five degrees warmer than between 1980 and 2000.
While the increased yields of some crops might sound like good news to farmers, the report warned that the increased frequency of severe weather is expected to decrease agricultural productivity. Climate change could also bring more heat waves, higher humidity and worse air and water quality, the report said.
Extreme rainfall and flooding, on the rise in the Midwest in recent years, are expected to continue increasing as climate change progresses, the report said. That could lead to erosion and problems for transport, health and agriculture.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-climate-change-report-chicago-20140506,0,6551258.story
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