Chicago - Inside Climate News

A Contaminated Riverside Lot in Chicago’s Bridgeport Neighborhood Is Poised for Cleanup by Peoples Gas

Residents hearing about cleanup plans for a long-unused industrial site, set to begin in October, hope the nearly four acres could be added to nearby parkland.

By Charna Albert

Peoples Gas plans to remediate a contaminated site on Chicago’s South Side, next to a park on what used to be the rest of the company’s property there. Credit: Charna Albert/Inside Climate News

Krystyna Kurth, with the Shedd Aquarium, shows Elise Mulligan jewelweed as they kayak down the Chicago River. Credit: Leigh Giangreco/Inside Climate News

In the Once Heavily Polluted Chicago River, More Fish, a Giant Snapping Turtle and an Upcoming Swim

By Leigh Giangreco

Samuel Corona (right) and Katia Balba give a “toxic tour” at Steelworkers Park in Chicago with their organization, Alliance of the Southeast, on July 17. Credit: Fern Alling/Inside Clean Energy

Despite HUD Mandate Withdrawal, the Push for Clean Air Moves Forward in Chicago

By Fern Alling

Chicago Has a Huge Lead Pipe Problem—and We Mapped It

By Keerti Gopal, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Peter Aldhous, Clayton Aldern, Amy Qin

How We Mapped Chicago’s Lead Pipe Problem and What We Learned

By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Keerti Gopal, Peter Aldhous, Clayton Aldern, Amy Qin

Colton Wyatt shows off a lead water testing kit at his home in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. Credit: Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Lead Pipes Are Everywhere in Chicago. Here’s How to Protect Yourself

By Sophia Kalakailo, City Bureau

A Canada goose swims in Lake Michigan next to the Chicago Area Confined Disposal Facility in Chicago’s Southeast Side. Credit: Christiana Freitag/Inside Climate News

A Toxic Landfill Was on the Brink of Expanding. Residents Fought Back and Won

By Christiana Freitag

Chicago Aims To Have Most Air Pollution Sensors in the US

By Brett Chase, Chicago Sun-Times

Trump Dismisses Civil Rights, Fair Housing Cases in Chicago To Focus on ‘Real Concerns’

By Brett Chase, Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Was Supposed to Warn Residents About Toxic Lead Pipes. It’s Barely Started

By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Keerti Gopal

The Chicago skyline is seen through the Damen Silos. Credit: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

These Century-Old Chicago Silos Are Slated for Demolition. Neighbors Want to Save Them

By Charna Albert

Cheryl Johnson (left), executive director of People for Community Recovery and the daughter of Hazel Johnson, stands next to Chicago Department of Environment Commissioner Angela Tovar, as she speaks at a rally outside of City Hall in April. Credit: Keerti Gopal/Inside Climate News

In Chicago, a Landmark Environmental Justice Bill Inches Toward Passage

By Siri Chilukuri

How Do You Escape a Heat Wave When You Have Nowhere to Go?

By Keerti Gopal

Chicago’s Plan to Replace Lead Pipes Puts It 30 Years Behind the Federal Deadline

By Keerti Gopal, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

A proposed data center for Equinix Inc. in Minooka could use 30 percent of the municipality’s allocated drinking water. Credit: Equinix

As Data Centers Proliferate Across Illinois, Communities Grapple with How to Supply the Necessary Water

By Susan Cosier

Smoke from Canadian wildfires covers the Chicago skyline on June 6. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

As Wildfire Smoke Increases Bad-Air Days, Are Government Agencies Doing Enough?

By Leigh Giangreco

From left: Water experts Ivonne Rychwa from Citizens Utility Board, Oliver Ciciora from Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, Anna-Lisa Gonzales Castle from Elevate, and Iyana Simba from the Illinois Environmental Council discuss water affordability issues at the Water Matters Town Hall in Chicago. Credit: Christiana Freitag/Inside Climate News

As Chicagoans Brace for Higher Water Bills, Groups Push for Affordability Reforms

By Christiana Freitag

In Chicago, Artists Imagine a World Without Prisons or Environmental Hazards

By Keerti Gopal

Invasive Asian carp leap out of the Illinois River in Bath, Ill. Credit: Benjamin Lowy/Getty Images

Illinois Delays a Project Meant to Keep Asian Carp Out of the Great Lakes

By Susan Cosier

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