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Improving public health across Greater Chicago through climate action

Climate action is not only about reducing greenhouse gas emissions — it’s also a powerful tool to improve public health.

The Comprehensive Climate Action Plan for Greater Chicago presents a clear and ambitious path to reduce emissions across the region’s largest polluting sectors while also delivering cleaner air, reducing pollution-related illnesses, and realizing significant economic benefits. Because the activities that drive climate change also release harmful air pollutants, any reduction in fossil fuel use improves local air quality while advancing long-term climate goals.

In short: climate action means cleaner air and a healthier region.

The region’s air quality challenge

Greater Chicago continues to face serious air quality challenges — it ranks among the most polluted metropolitan areas in the U.S. for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone emissions. PM2.5 are airborne particles 2.5 microns or smaller, mainly from commercial cooking, residential wood combustion, metal manufacturing, construction, and road dust. Ozone forms when other pollutants — such as emissions from cars, trucks, power plants, and forest fires — react with heat and sunlight.

While air quality improved over past few decades, progress has slowed substantially in recent years, particularly for PM2.5 and ozone. Climate change is one factor, as warmer weather increases the frequency of conditions that contribute to poor air quality. Recent federal actions to eliminate consideration of the public health benefits associated with air pollution reductions in regulatory analyses could further stall or even reverse progress, highlighting the important role state and local governments play in advancing climate and clean air strategies.

Why clean air matters

Air pollution is a major public health risk. It contributes to chronic disease, increased health care costs, and premature death. Short-term exposure to pollutants like ozone and PM2.5 can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks, respiratory distress, and emergency room visits. Long-term exposure increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, cognitive decline, and premature mortality.

These impacts are already significant across Greater Chicago:

• PM2.5 exposure contributes to an estimated 5 percent of premature deaths in the City of Chicago each year.
• Diesel-related PM2.5 exposure is projected to cause nearly 360 deaths annually across much of the region, along with 177 heart attacks, 4,595 cases of asthma exacerbation, and 22,731 lost workdays in 2026 — resulting in over $4 billion in associated health and productivity costs.
• Medium- and heavy-duty vehicle emissions are linked to roughly 1,330 premature deaths annually in northeastern Illinois, along with 1,580 new pediatric asthma cases each year.

The region’s pollution burdens are not evenly distributed. Low-income communities and communities of color often face the highest exposure due to proximity to highways, freight corridors, and industrial facilities.

How climate action improves air quality

Many of the strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions also reduce air pollution. Implementing the climate action plan will cut fossil fuel combustion in the transportation, buildings, power generation, and industry sectors, significantly reducing emissions of nitrogen dioxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, and PM2.5.

Figure 1: Criteria air pollutant reductions when fully implementing the climate action plan

More specifically, fully implementing the plan by 2050 would reduce:

• Nitrogen dioxides and sulfur oxides emissions by 50 to 60 percent
• PM2.5 and volatile organic compounds by 14 to 16 percent

These reductions are especially important because nitrogen dioxides and volatile organic compounds contribute to ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter — two of the region’s most persistent air quality challenges.

What local governments can do

Many of the actions that improve air quality and reduce emissions are implemented or influenced at the local level.

Municipalities and counties can help deliver cleaner air by:

• Supporting residential and commercial building electrification and energy efficiency
• Reducing energy demand through updated zoning that supports increased multifamily housing
• Expanding transit, walking, biking, and EV infrastructure
• Reducing diesel emissions through fleet electrification and freight planning
• Updating zoning and permitting to support renewable energy and clean technologies
• Incorporating health and fairness considerations into local planning and infrastructure decisions

Because land use, transportation, and infrastructure decisions are often made locally, local governments play a critical role in determining whether residents experience cleaner air over time.

The health and economic benefits are substantial

The climate action plan can deliver meaningful health and economic benefits across the region. If fully implemented, the plan could help avoid an average of 1,250 premature deaths each year. Nearly 4,000 new asthma cases, more than 400 non-fatal heart attacks, and 1,500 pollution-related emergency room visits could also be prevented each year.

Figure 2: Annual avoided health outcomes in 2050 when fully implementing the climate action plan

A healthier future is within reach

During the development of the climate action plan, residents across Greater Chicago consistently identified clean air and public health as top priorities, especially in communities near manufacturing facilities, freight corridors, and other major pollution sources.

Many described the toll of constant exposure to harmful air pollutants, with entire families affected by asthma and other chronic health conditions. Others noted the difficult tradeoffs communities often face when economic opportunity and pollution burdens coexist in the same neighborhoods.

These experiences show that climate action is not only about long-term global outcomes but also about improving daily life. It’s about expanding access to healthy environments and economic opportunity without compromising public health.

The good news is that many of the strategies needed to improve air quality are already well understood and available. The challenge ahead is accelerating implementation and ensuring benefits reach the communities that need them most.

Read the full climate plan to explore the complete set of strategies for building a healthier, more resilient Greater Chicago.