Rising to the Challenge
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Material Information

Title:
Rising to the Challenge Assessing the Massachusetts Reponse to Climate Change
Creator:
Warren Leon
Sonia Hamel
Benjamin Forman
Val Stori
Affiliation:
Clean Energy States Alliance
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth
Clean Energy States Alliance
Publisher:
Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Notes

Summary:
On July 2, 2008 Governor Deval Patrick signed the landmark Green Communities Act proclaiming: “Climate change is the challenge of our times and we in Massachusetts are rising to that challenge.”* Massachusetts is indeed rising to the challenge, but will we succeed in reaching the greenhouse gas reduction targets we have committed to achieving? This question is critical because Massachusetts has much at stake. If global emissions are not signifi cantly reduced, credible projections suggest the state will face sea level rise of two to six feet. Hundred-year fl oods will likely occur every few years. Summers would bring 30 to 60 days with temperatures over 90 degrees. These threats can only be avoided if political entities around the world do their part to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. In this spirit, Massachusetts has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. This report examines how far along the state is with implementing climate change actions to achieve these goals. We place particular focus on the state’s trajectory toward the 2020 target. By reaching this interim goal, Massachusetts will show that signifi cant greenhouse gas reduction is possible and can infl uence others to take action. With eight years remaining to cut emissions 25 percent, this is the moment to take stock of our progress. Implementation is well underway, but there is still time to make any necessary adjustments to meet the 25 percent target. While progress toward these targets provides one frame for assessing the state’s response to climate change, given the complexity of the challenge, it is important to look more broadly as well. The report examines other topics, such as the state’s preparations for adapting to a changing climate, the state’s leadership role nationally and internationally, and the extent to which the state is cost-effectively pursuing emissions reductions. We present this comprehensive review of the Massachusetts response in four sections: • Section 1 provides a primer on the climate change problem, the urgent need for state and local action, and the policy response in Massachusetts to date. • Section 2 assesses the state’s comprehensive response to climate change, answering three key questions: Is the state on track to meet its targets? Is the state successful in the key realms of energy effi ciency, electricity generation, transportation and land use, and adaptation? And is the state playing a leadership role? • Section 3 compares the economic costs of addressing climate change to the economic benefi ts of the policies that the state is implementing. • Section 4 examines the achievements of local climate change action in cities and towns across the state.

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Florida International University
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Aggregations:
Sea Level Rise