Climate Change Impacts and Costs to Illinois Communities
Provided by: Prairie Research Institute|Published on: May 6, 2025
Grades: 6, 7, 8
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Dr. Trent Ford
Region: Illinois
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article from the Illinois State Climatologist highlights the significant changes in weather patterns that Illinois has experienced over the past 120 years.
- The consequences of the changes in weather patterns on public health are discussed in detail.
- Costs associated with climate change in Illinois are explored.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This article does a wonderful job of explaining specific examples of how climate change affects public health in Illinois.
- The reader will learn about the potential costs of climate change.
Prerequisites
- Background knowledge on the historically rising temperatures and rainfall patterns in Illinois should be understood.
- Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and other tick-borne illnesses should be discussed to make the correlation to the data displayed in this article with climate change.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Although this is a 6-8 grade resource, it can be utilized with high school as well.
- This article can be used to explore how climate change negatively impacts human health.
- This lesson on tick-borne illnesses and climate change can be used alongside this resource.
- In geography classes, students can compare Illinois data for weather-related disasters and the occurrence of tick-borne illnesses to data from other locations.
This resource details the impacts of climate change on water resources and public health in Illinois. Numerous peer-reviewed sources are cited, and all figures list primary sources. The text is clear, with important points in bold, and a focus is placed on disproportionate climate change impacts to historically marginalized communities. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
