Greater Boston City Leaders Agree to Work Together on Lowering Carbon Emissions & Preparing for a Changing Climate
BOSTON – More than a dozen mayors from Greater Boston are taking steps toward working together to prepare for and combat climate change collectively after a summit in Downtown Boston today.
Mayors and city- and town managers from Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Melrose, Medford, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville and Winthrop gathered this morning at the UMass Club in Boston to review two years of work to analyze the vulnerabilities of the Boston region to a changing climate. They also crafted a mitigation commitment inspired by the recent Paris Climate Accord signed by more than 190 countries.
These 14 members of the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition (MMC), a regional collaborative that seeks to solve problems across municipal boundaries, were driven to create a local compact to prepare for climate change, recognizing that the effects of a changing climate go beyond municipal borders. Now more than ever, urban areas play a unique role in producing carbon emissions and taking steps toward mitigating their effects.
“As cities, our work together is mission critical to building healthy, resilient communities in the face of climate change and Boston is ready to carry the torch alongside our regional partners,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “We’re proud to be a member of this strong network and will continue to prioritize climate progress as long as it affects the people of Boston.”
In 2015, the MMC adopted the Metro Boston Climate Preparedness Commitment, which created a Taskforce to guide regional climate decisions in a collaborative manner. The Taskforce supports coordination among the existing and planned climate resiliency and mitigation efforts of Metro Boston. Today’s pledge expanded that climate leadership.
“It’s only natural that our cities are coming together again to address what is perhaps our generation’s greatest challenge: climate change. Our cities work well together on many shared issues — from snow clearing to safety — and we are forming a model for cross-border action on climate change,” said Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone. “Even in the face of climate threats — and wavering national commitments — the future of our region is bright if we focus on preparing for change and moving toward clean, efficient development.”
“Cities contribute up to 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, so it’s no secret urban leaders need to take action on climate change,” said Marc Draisen, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council in Boston, which founded and facilitates the Metro Mayors Coalition. “Our local leaders are working together to craft a low-carbon agenda that will contribute to meeting global goals and improving quality of life for vulnerable populations in the Boston area.”
Click Below to see the climate mitigation agreement:
Metro Mayors Climate Mitigation Commitment.pdf