With the abruptness of the wildfires in California, there has been an ongoing talk of climate change across the world. Here in Plainfield, many individuals have been worried about our own environment and how to go about our own lives with the inconsistency of the weather.
Our coldest month in Illinois is typically January, not December, with an average of 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Our hottest month is July with an average of 77 degrees Fahrenheit, and our wettest month is October.
In 2020, our average temperature in July was 78.5, and it went down to 75.56 in 2024. As for December, the average temperature has changed from 33.45 to 34.11
Robyn Ciechna, a senior member of the environmental club, acknowledges how we barely receive snow in the later months of the year compared to years in the past.
“The lack of snowfall is really sad. I remember back in elementary school and even middle school we always got a lot of blizzards every year. The snow does tend to wait until January instead of November and December,” Ciechna said.
In 2022, Illinois only accounted for 34 tornado reports. In 2022, the reported amount of tornadoes rose to 121. In 2024, it stayed relatively similar, but still rose to 124 reports.
There are multiple accounts of endangered species here in Illinois as well. There are nine reptile species, 23 bird species, 19 fish species, 3 amphibian species, five mammal species, 47 invertebrate species, and 246 plant species endangered. This adds up to over three hundred species with a potential to go extinct in Illinois alone. This can cause these animals to go extinct, which means there will be no more existing animals of this type in the world.
Not just animals are being impacted by this climate change, but us human individuals as well. Increased asthma attacks and the increased spread of diseases.
“Learning is the most important step to take in order to improve what we are facing today. Implementing recycling and composting systems have done numbers in other towns and cities across the country. Even learning about what you can do as a citizen helps to improve what we see in regular life,” Ciechna said.
Another problem to take into consideration is the sky. People who enjoy watching the swirls of space, and the stars in the sky are prevented from doing so due to smoke pollution.
“When it’s nighttime and I find myself outside, I am typically admiring the beauty of the night sky. The problem is, light pollution is particularly bad in this region of Illinois,” Ciechna said.
Overall, our school has little to no discussions between students on climate change, as well as the curriculum provided at South. Edward Hartman, senior and future environmental sustainability major highlighted the concern.
“I don’t think the school does enough to address the issue so if they try pushing the scale of climate change could help. A thing the school could do is solar panels in an open area. Another could be field trips to help the community around us with tree planting,” Hartman said.
Here at Plainfield South, the environmental clubs have meetings where climate change is one of many discussions.
Biology teacher and environmental club supervisor Jennifer Woods explains that South should instal solar panels, as well as consider a wind turbine in order to reduce our fossil fuel intake.

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