We know how much carbon we emit, with reasonable accuracy. We know how much carbon we need to stop emitting. We know much about the carbon-free resources we need to procure. Now we just need to know the cost to the Commonwealth.
Climate change
Posted inEnergy
Senate to go first on climate legislation with wide-ranging bill
Two bills are expected to come up for votes on Thursday, one dealing with nitty gritty aspects of the clean energy transition and another more narrowly focused measure attempting to curb the use of plastics in everyday life.
Posted inOpinion
Climate action, equity must go hand in hand
Equity must be embedded in the fabric of climate initiatives and economic development plans. We must ensure that the benefits of climate innovation and economic growth are justly distributed, reaching those who have historically been excluded.
Posted inEnergy
Big electricity shift coming: Are we ready?
Demand for power from the grid is expected to grow by more than 17 percent over the next 10 years, as electrification of vehicles and home heating drives up consumption, more than offsetting growth in energy efficiency and solar installations.
Posted inEnvironment
When young people think about the climate, despair follows
A new Earth Month poll of middle school and high schoolers across the country found that 72 percent of poll respondents say climate change is already impacting their lives – with 30 percent saying it already has a major impact and 42 percent saying a minor impact – and 53 percent believe it will be a major problem over the course of their lives.
Posted inOpinion
Historic structures ‘sitting ducks’ for climate change
Many historic structures and sites, particularly on the East Coast, are located in low-lying areas near the ocean or along rivers and likely built on fill – that’s just the way our early settlements were established.
Posted inOpinion
Prodding waterfront landowners to address equity, climate change
As property owners design and permit their projects, it is clear that they will be responsible for improving access and reflecting community priorities in their design of outdoor spaces.
Posted inEnergy
7 communities picked for fossil-free construction experiment
“This is a huge milestone,” said Lisa Cunningham, co-founder of the ZeroCarbonMA advocacy group. “I hope it’s only the beginning of a sea change in the way we think about building, not just in Massachusetts but throughout the country.”
Posted inOpinion
Meeting climate goals requires new policy, funding
There are statutory, policy, and funding changes we must adopt if we are to meet our climate goals.
Posted inEnvironment
Climate report calls for decarbonization cost tally
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS NEEDS to shift from an era of statewide planning for climate policy to the key details of implementing it, according to a new report from […]
Posted inEnvironment
Advocates press Healey to scrap Hanscom expansion
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN A NEW SURGE of opposition, advocates are calling directly on Gov. Maura Healey to stop the expansion of the publicly owned airfield in Bedford that […]
Posted inOpinion
Why is the US locking down for climate change?
AMERICANS REALLY hated locking down for COVID-19, so why does the US keep locking down for climate change? Sometimes we are locked in, due to wildfire smoke and heat; and […]
Posted inOpinion
Unjamming the heating oil industry’s road to carbon neutrality
AT A RENEWABLE fuels conference in January, Kevin Beckett, CEO and president of oil burner manufacturer R.W. Beckett Corp., announced that after years of research and development, the company’s much-anticipated […]
Posted inOpinion
Nobody should be facing the climate crisis alone
THOUGH THE FINAL death toll from the wildfire in Maui, which was worsened if not caused by the changing climate, is still uncertain, it is already apparent that many victims were over […]
Posted inOpinion
Building resilience into built environment no easy task
AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER, climate resilience enthusiast, and local agriculture advocate, the recent flooding in Western Massachusetts touched on the things I care about most in the world. Within my […]
Posted inOpinion
What you need to know about heat pumps
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS likely to reach the market within two years will improve conventional air-to-air heat pump efficiency by perhaps 10 percent or more while reducing the climate risks of refrigerant […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, State Government, State House News Service
Green bank to target building decarbonization
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH AN EYE on the state’s mid-century greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments, Gov. Maura Healey announced Tuesday the launch of a “green bank” that she hopes […]
Posted inOpinion
Wildlands, the natural answer to climate change
NEW ENGLAND is not immune to the global ecological crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, which both threaten human health and safety. With little time to act, we are […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cities, towns are frontline in addressing climate change
OUR HEALTH as a community is tied to the health of our environment and our planet. The stark reality however is that our future is not guaranteed. Climate change is […]
Posted inOpinion
A letter to Bill McKibben: Do the math
Dear Bill McKibben, Thanks for coming home to Concord/Lexington on April 2 and reminding us how we have wasted precious time since you sounded the alarm in 1989 with “The […]
Posted inOpinion
No more climate legislation needed; it’s time for action
IN 2021, after extensive negotiation, the Massachusetts Legislature passed the Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy, which calls for reducing emissions by 75 percent by 2040 and 85 percent […]
Posted inOpinion
The dirty secret about ‘clean’ electric vehicles
AUTOMOBILES EMIT tailpipe carbon emissions, we all know that, and these emissions in the aggregate are now the largest single source of carbon emissions in Massachusetts and many other states, […]
Posted inOpinion
Criticism of green hydrogen misses the mark
A YEAR AGO, President Biden signed into law the single most sweeping climate bill in American history. Supported by virtually the entire Democratic Party and environmental leaders like the Environmental […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Opinion
Fair share for the fossil fuel industry
RIGHT NOW, the fossil fuel industry is booming. A recent Reuters report said that Exxon Mobil made record annual profits in 2022, raking in $55.7 billion, exceeding its previous record of […]