As towering clouds of dust darkened Illinois skies once again recently, a chilling parallel to the 1930s Dust Bowl era loomed large over America’s heartland. Coupled with last year’s deadly 72-vehicle pileup on Interstate 55 in central Illinois shrouded in blinding dust, these are not freak occurrences but harbingers of an escalating environmental crisis fueled by climate change and unsustainable farming practices.
The data paints a harrowing picture: South-central Illinois is growing dustier each year despite increased precipitation, mirroring ominous trends across the Great Plains and Southwest. Climate models long warned of this grim scenario — rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns and protracted droughts conspiring to strip the fertile soil of its protective vegetation cover. Now, these apocalyptic predictions are manifesting into clouds of particulate peril.
This perfect storm is rooted in human activity on multiple fronts. Climate change, the invisible hand exacerbating the hot, arid conditions that parch the land, is being compounded by the relentless expansion of croplands, excessive tilling, overgrazing and removal of native windbreaks. In our haste for agricultural expansion, we have tragically reprised the catastrophic ecological errors that spawned the original Dust Bowl devastation nearly a century ago.
The consequences are disrupting vital economic arteries. Dust storms endanger lives, cripple transportation networks and unleash cascading public health emergencies as particulate matter fills the air we breathe. The economic toll of mass displacement, crop losses and disrupted supply chains haunts like the 1930s creeping back to inflict ruin once more.
Yet we don’t need to resign ourselves to this fate. The past serves not only as a dire warning; it also is a road map revealing our path to redemption through the sustainable stewardship of vital ecosystems. Implementing regenerative practices such as no-till cultivation, restoring native windbreaks and vegetative buffers, and preserving soil integrity through crop rotation can halt the gathering tempest before it engulfs the Midwest.
Confronting climate change through urgent emissions reductions and a rapid transition to clean energy is equally imperative. We stand at a pivotal crossroads with a clear choice: Chart a new, sustainable course respecting the land that sustains us or succumb to the existential threat of perpetual dust storms.
The lessons have been etched in the wind-swept soils of the Great Plains. Will we heed them before ecological collapse or allow our insatiable appetites to blind us to the rising dust clouds that endanger all we hold dear?
— Doug Kiel, associate professor of history and the humanities, Northwestern University, Evanston
Medical personnel unsung heroes
The Tavon Tanner story and photo on the front page of Sunday’s Chicago Tribune (“Scarred, but blessed”) was a wonderful tribute to this young man’s courage and the many people who helped him reach his goal of graduating from high school.
I have followed this boy’s story from the beginning when a bullet nearly took his life at the age of 10. Many people, beginning with his mother and twin sister, helped this young man beat the odds. But the very first people to help Tavon were the first responders and then the doctors and medical staff in the emergency room. I don’t believe I have read a word about their role in this remarkable story of survival.
Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel do their jobs without much recognition, especially when it comes to helping gunshot victims. They deal with trauma and blood and pain far more often than they should. Let us keep these courageous men and women in our thoughts and prayers. They truly are God’s instruments of healing.
— Kathleen Melia, Niles
Happy to read Tavon Tanner story
I echo the letters in the May 22 Tribune about Tavon Tanner and Mary Schmich, particularly Janice M. Schmid (“I’ve missed Mary Schmich”). It’s a joy to learn Tavon is doing so well, and it’s a joy to read Mary again.
— Bill Page, Morton Grove
Causes of kids’ mental health crisis
Children and teens face an unprecedented mental health crisis that calls for serious solutions, not provocation.
The pandemic hit this generation hard. Between lockdown, social media and life in a polarized society, they are especially vulnerable. Unfortunately, some leaders are taking advantage of concern for kids’ mental health by diverting attention from real causes. We know that social media often harms kids’ mental and physical health and that companies look to boost profits through addictive app features targeting kids and teens. The surgeon general has warned about the negative effects of social media on kids’ mental health.
Rather than address these well-established causes, some politicians and pundits exploit worries by misrepresenting the factors behind this tragedy. They fuel anger by wrongly blaming inclusive education and comprehensive libraries. These divisive tactics aim to recruit people into political movements, ultimately deflecting attention from well-researched causes.
To protect future generations, we must bring attention to realities and not let outrage purveyors shape the narrative. Book bans and restrictions on freedom to learn don’t help.
Caring for kids means caring about research, regulations and funding that supports proven solutions. We must center our focus on helping kids — not fueling culture wars.
— Mary Harris, Lansing
We must do more for caregivers
Now more than ever, we need to invest our limited resources where our dollars have the biggest impact.
A solid return on investment in the Illinois state budget would be ensuring older adults and individuals with disabilities live safely at home as long as possible through the dedication of family caregivers.
In Illinois, unpaid family caregivers contribute significantly to the economy, providing about $17 billion worth of unpaid care annually, reducing the burden on our health care system and society.
By 2030, more than 25% of Illinoisans will be 60 years old and older. We have an opportunity to meet this moment by assuring unpaid caregivers in Illinois are supported while they navigate the complexities of their caregiver journeys.
The Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition supports and advocates for family caregivers across the state by providing resources, education and policy recommendations, aiming to enhance quality of life for both caregivers and the loved ones they care for.
We applaud budget measures sponsored by state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez and state Sen. Doris Turner providing a modest $6 million to help unpaid caregivers navigate the caregiver journey.
We support Illinois AARP and the legislative efforts to create a caregiver online portal to provide information and resources for caregivers who care for loved ones facing health challenges.
We urge Gov. J.B. Pritzker, his administration and state legislators to join the growing number of states with strong caregiver support so our hidden heroes — unpaid caregivers — can thrive.
— Amy Brennan, executive director, Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition
Yellow light in city means stop
I have one more suggestion to add to letter writer Nancy McDaniel’s first three suggestions on avoiding traffic tickets in our city (“How to avoid Chicago tickets,” May 20).
Outside Chicago city limits, a yellow light means proceed with caution. Within Chicago city limits, a yellow light means stop!
There’s no way you can get through a Chicago intersection on a yellow light. The light will turn red, and a red light camera will go off. Yellow means stop in Chicago.
Drive safely.
— Joe Artabasy, Glencoe
Decision-makers problematic
How interesting that the question of whether the president is above the law is being decided by Supreme Court justices who act like they are.
— Richard L. Bennett, Cherry Valley, Illinois
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