Currently in Chicago — October 18, 2023: Mostly cloudy and possible showers

The weather, currently.

Tuesday night will be mostly clear, with clouds gradually gathering overnight and lows in the mid-40s. Wednesday will bring more clouds throughout the day, with a 30% chance of precipitation in the afternoon. Highs will be in the upper 60s, with gusts up to 30mph. Wednesday night will see a 70% chance of rain and a low around 54.

With all the damp days we’ve had, it might be hard to remember that wildfires are a major problem across the planet. A local teen was recently recognized for her innovative wildfire prediction techniques. Great job, Nikita!

— Katje Sabin

What you need to know, currently.

The UN Climate Change Conference, COP28, is about a month and a half away. However, after last year's conference — which emphasized Climate Finances — wealthy nations are still falling far behind on financial commitments.

The majority of these promises are already overdue. In 2009 wealthy nations promised to pay $100 billion per year in climate finance to the Global South by 2020.

Earlier this month the UN's main fund created to support these goals — the Green Climate Fund — announced that it had raised $9.3 billion, falling short of a $10 billion target. This comes nowhere near the $200-$250 billion the UN estimates developing nations will actually need each year by 2030.

The US and China, the globe's two largest polluters, failed to contribute to the fund at all.

At least years COP, held in Egypt, countries also agreed to create a “Loss and Damage Fund.” A fund where wealthy nations would contribute funds to assist developing nations as they recover from inevitable climate disasters, i.e. loss and damages.

Almost a year later, there is no clear path forward for the creation or execution of this fund.

— Abbie Veitch

What you can do, currently.

Currently Sponsorships are short messages we co-write with you to plug your org, event, or climate-friendly business with Currently subscribers. It’s a chance to boost your visibility with Currently — one of the world’s largest daily climate newsletters — and support independent climate journalism, all at the same time. Starting at just $105.

One of my favorite organizations, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, serves as a hub of mutual aid efforts focused on climate action in emergencies — like hurricane season. Find mutual aid network near you and join, or donate to support existing networks: