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Boston Globe
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Boston drafts detailed action plan to slash emissions by 2030
'The biggest value of this plan is that it gives us a clear roadmap that shows, number one, the mayor is still committed. And number two, there are clear ways that we can implement it without federal support,' he said. The plan for the first time combines the need to slash fossil fuel emissions with the need to rapidly adapt to the ways in which the climate is already changing, including rising seas and increases in extreme precipitation and heat. Advertisement It proposes doing this via two approaches, explained Brian Swett, the city's chief climate officer: 'scale and expand' and 'start anew and explore.' The largest source of emissions in the city is the burning of fossil fuels to heat and power buildings — that accounts for nearly 70% of the city's emissions, according to the plan. Almost all of the remaining emissions come from transportation, except for minor contributions from waste and wastewater which together account for less than 1%. Advertisement When it comes to reducing emissions, the plan calls for the continuation of BERDO — a program that mandates gradual emissions reductions in large buildings over time — as well as the expansion of programs that have seen the conversion of the city's street lamps and some residents' stoves from gas to electric. Other proposals would lead to increased education about decarbonization as well as programs to help building owners understand how to convert off fossil fuels. A task force would look specifically at how to decarbonize restaurants — a challenge due to their heavy reliance on gas for cooking and the high costs of transitioning to electric appliance, as well as space constraints. The work is all in the service of cutting community-wide carbon emissions by 50% below 2005 levels in 2030 and 100% in 2050; while committing to a slightly faster pace — 60% in 2030 and 100% in 2050 — for municipal emissions. Other goals are less explicit, including a target of implementing coastal resilience projects to address near-time flood risks on Boston's 47-mile coastline, reducing urban heat and expanding cooling access, and minimizing the risks from severe precipitation. If all of the existing targets at the state and city level are achieved — such as switching massive volumes of vehicles from gas to EVs and getting homeowners to convert to electricity for home heating — the city will already have reduced its emissions by 44 percent by 2030. This plan lays out of a framework for not just achieving that target, but also for eliminating an additional 6 percent, said Oliver Sellers-Garcia, the city's Green New Deal director. Advertisement Throughout, the plan refers to a so-called 'climate justice framework,' which acknowledges that climate change disproportionately burdens the most vulnerable and underserved communities and that climate action, when designed well, can repair historic inequities and reduce disparities. The plan also acknowledges a hard truth: this work takes a lot of money. 'We have a climate problem that is too big to find funding for — no one has all the money hidden in the couch cushions,' said Sellers-Garcia. 'But what this plan will do is that it will find places where we can leverage funding." That includes proposals to partner with the private sector, build climate goals into the city's annual budget, and explore developing a local climate accelerator to provide funding for certain climate initiatives. Wu faced Over time, some of the critics who complained of Wu's slow start softened, finding that the administration's incremental steps on several fronts were beginning to add up. In fact, 'it is the accumulation of a series of what you might call 'small swings' that will get us where we're going,' said Amy Longsworth, executive director of the Boston Green Ribbon Commission. Among the biggest of those swings so far: the passage of net zero carbon zoning earlier this year, which requires new buildings to achieve net zero carbon emissions upon opening and to report on the carbon emitted during construction and in the manufacturing of a building's materials; and a 2024 requirement that all new affordable housing projects that are financed with funds from the Mayor's Office of Housing be all-electric and fossil fuel-free. Advertisement Other steps include the creation of fare-free bus routes to incentivize drivers to instead use public transit, which will be electrified in coming years;the addition of a permanent City of Boston seat on the MBTA board of directors, following years of advocacy by the city, to influence climate-friendly policy; and the creation of the Boston Climate Council, a cross-department effort to coordinate the city's climate work. With the release of the new draft plan, climate advocates noted that the steps Wu have taken mark a big departure from past administrations, where major climate action often occurred via the release of ordinances, rather than on-the-ground measures. One of the big challenges early on, Farooqi said, is that his organization and others working on climate would approach the administration with what felt like a great idea, 'and they'd be like, 'Oh yeah, we actually already started implementing that, like, six months ago, and we just haven't told you yet.'' What's new, too, is that community groups have been a part of the process for developing the climate plan from early on. Even now, the plan has surveys built into it, and will have another draft released later this year before a final version lands in 2026. The process 'makes room for us to bring up what we don't see,' said Kannan Thiruvengadam, executive director of Eastie Farm. Thiruvengadam said he's also grateful to see the city's commitment even as the federal government is not just scaling back its climate work but also seeking to reach into state and local governments to limit their abilities, too. 'You're actually calling it a Climate Action Plan. You're not calling it an economic activation plan or anything like that,' he said. 'I am actually grateful that there is some defiance coming out of cities like ours and states like ours.' Advertisement Sabrina Shankman can be reached at
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
US government pulls funding for critical projects meant to protect communities: 'Now we have a bigger wedge to fill'
Boston is racing against the clock to prepare for higher tides, stronger storms, and rising floodwaters. But a major funding cut just made that mission harder — and put key coastal communities at risk — as reported by the Boston Globe. Two of Boston's key coastal resilience projects — Moakley Park in South Boston and Tenean Beach in Dorchester — just lost millions in federal support. The funding, part of a disaster preparedness grant program, was scrapped due to spending cuts initiated by the current administration. According to the Globe, the state of Massachusetts expected around $90 million from the program, including $23 million for Moakley Park and a proposed $12 million for Tenean Beach. Cities like Chelsea and Everett had also been counting on the funding mechanism for projects aimed at protecting against floods. Now all of them are left searching for alternatives. Despite the blow, city leaders are forging ahead. "This is not delaying anything that the city of Boston has underway," Brian Swett, Boston's chief climate officer, told the paper. And yet, "it does present a challenge that now we have a bigger wedge to fill in terms of construction [costs]." The area, like so many coastal communities, is already vulnerable to the surges and floods that are intensifying with rising global temperatures brought on by heat-trapping pollution. As NBC10 Boston noted, less-than-stable landfill underlies one-sixth of the city. And the waterfront is already showing signs of strain. A map at shows that sea levels in the region have risen about a foot since 1921, and a 2022 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted they would rise another foot by 2050. Without resilient infrastructure and innovative solutions, neighborhoods risk frequent flooding, public transit disruptions, and property damage. And it's not just Boston. Dozens of towns across Massachusetts and across the United States — many without deep budgets or staff capacity — are now scrambling to rethink their flood protection plans in the wake of federal cuts. Similar cuts have defunded climate-related work in other countries as well. Boston says it isn't backing down from needed preparations. Instead, it's pushing ahead with a $250 million redesign of Moakley Park, which, as local outlet Caught in Southie describes, is "being redesigned not just as a green space but as a kind of sponge—to absorb stormwater and buffer the surrounding neighborhoods." Officials say they're exploring other funding options and are optimistic support will come through. "We're going to continue to do everything we can to make sure something comes from Washington," Swett told the Globe. "I don't think this is the end of the federal story of investment in this project." Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely Somewhat Depends on the time of year Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. But the region is also investing in itself. NBC10 said Boston has "set aside $75 million of its own for climate resilience." There's urgency because, as the state's energy and environmental affairs secretary Rebecca Tepper noted in a mid-April statement, each grant application, each grant award, each funding cut "represents a neighborhood that needs support." State lawmakers across the U.S. continue to propose and plan for climate resilience work. And it's not only to reduce threats to the environment and human life, but to get ahead of the massive costs of future damage and destruction. Some federal and state programs are continuing to fund this work too. Municipalities and individuals can consider tapping into tax rebates and credits tied to the Inflation Reduction Act to support community- and household-level climate adaptation. It's worth noting, meanwhile, that the Trump administration has signalled an intention to end these programs, so anyone hoping to benefit from them might consider acting sooner rather than later. Ending the IRA, though, would legally require an act of Congress. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Boston Globe
17-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump spending cuts hit two sea level rise protection projects in Boston
Around The cuts are the latest setbacks for city climate leaders as they race to implement plans to protect Boston from rapidly rising sea levels by the 2030s, at which point flood risks across the city's waterfront are expected to increase dramatically. Advertisement Despite the cancellation of federal funds, Boston city leaders are promising to push ahead with their plans to protect the 47-mile-long coastline from erosion and flood risks. 'While this is incredibly unfortunate,' said Brian Swett, the city's chief climate officer, ' ... this is not delaying anything that the city of Boston has underway [for coastal resilience].' Still, 'it does present a challenge that now we have a bigger wedge to fill in terms of construction [costs],' he said. Advertisement City leaders had expected $23 million from Washington to help construct the Moakley Park project, and a state agency had applied for a $12 million federal grant for Tenean Beach. Both applications were for funds from the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program, known as BRIC, a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that had received a big infusion of cash under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed during the Biden administration. Beyond Boston, dozens of other Massachusetts communities are also scrambling to figure out what to do without the FEMA funds. Chelsea and Everett, for example, lost out on a $50 million grant they were expecting to Time is of the essence for such flood barriers: Already, sea levels in the Boston region have risen by about a foot since the 1920s, primarily due to climate change as glaciers and sea ice melt and ocean temperatures warm, causing the water to expand. Boston is likely to see another foot of sea level rise by 2050 compared to 2000. (City officials are planning infrastructure to withstand 40 inches of sea level rise by 2070.) The roughly $250 million Moakley Park Advertisement Despite the new federal funding cuts, Swett said he is optimistic that the city can find a different source of federal funding for construction on the park. 'We're going to continue to do everything we can to make sure something comes from Washington,' Swett said. 'I don't think this is the end of the federal story of investment in this project.' At Tenean Beach, the state plans to elevate a parking lot, part of Conley Street, and a portion of the Harborwalk to protect against rising sea levels. The Department of Conservation and Recreation had sought $12 million from the now-canceled FEMA grant program. State officials said cuts to the program will pose 'real costs' to communities if alternative funds are not identified. 'Climate change cannot be ignored,' said Rebecca Tepper, Massachusetts' Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary, in a statement. 'We were preparing to upgrade Tenean Beach, elevate Conley Street, and restore the nearby wetlands to provide important flood protection to nearby environmental justice communities and public transit.' Each federal grant application, she said, 'represents a neighborhood that needs support.' Erin Douglas can be reached at
