Is this a cult?
(Chicago Sun Times) Chicagoans love to be outside. Millions of tourists and residents enjoy the wide variety of activities that Chicago offers — our museums, music, sports, food and, of course, our waterways. These industries are of great importance to the economy.
As president of a tour boat company that offers Chicago Architecture Foundation tours and events on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, recent experience has me concerned that a fluctuating economy is not the only danger to my business. Climate change has brought Chicago unpredictable and increasingly extreme weather. The erratic behavior of Mother Nature has literally caused boatloads of people to miss out on celebrating a memorable occasion with family and friends on Chicago’s waterways. Extreme rain produced the wettest June in 86 years and was followed by a wet, cool July. Extreme hot temperatures put our guests and employees at risk for heat exhaustion. Unexpectedly cold temperatures, like snow in April and 60 degrees in July, leave out of town guests unprepared to spend much time outdoors exploring Chicago.
Moreover, an unusually long winter like the one endured in 2014 showed that more severe storms and weather in the winter also hurt business bottom lines. The long, extreme cold further into the spring causes a drop in sales for group tour business and private events in the early part of the season as people are not yet ready to commit to outdoors activities. A colder Lake Michigan has resulted in fog blocking visibility for sightseeing.
It’s a cult
Our elected officials recognize that climate change is not just a prediction that our grandchildren will have to figure out. It is happening now and affecting us today.
So, cold weather is caused by use of fossil fuels? Perhaps Ms. Holly Agra, “president of Chicago’s First Lady Cruises and a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which advises the U.S. Commerce Secretary on matters related to the travel and tourism industry”, can tell us how she is getting all the boats to switch to fuels other than fossil, and, really, isn’t tourism Bad for “climate change”? People take fossil fueled flights and automotive trips to get to Chicago, and use lots of electricity.
