Nearly half of all homes in Massachusetts rely on gas for heating, which contributes significantly to the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Ending this reliance on a climate-damaging fossil fuel could take decades. That’s why the work must start now, especially if the Commonwealth is going to meet its 2050 targets for cutting its overall carbon emissions.
New England is no stranger to climate action. So, as I look to 2021, I see New England continuing to lead on climate.
We can still avoid the worst impacts of climate change if we reach net-zero carbon pollution before 2050. We need strong climate laws in every New England state to hit that mark.
UPDATE: Today, Maine’s Climate Council released its report, “Maine Won’t Wait, A Plan for Climate Action.” This climate action plan is a critical step towards slashing climate-damaging emissions across the state.
“This far-reaching plan to confront the climate crisis sets Maine apart as a national leader,” said Emily Green, Senior Attorney at CLF. “It puts us on track to meet our climate goals and grow our economy while making Maine’s communities more resilient to climate impacts. Now comes the hard part: implementing the plan, and we look forward to working with people across Maine to get it done.”
We all know about clean, local energy like solar and wind. But there’s another form of clean energy: energy efficiency. Because the cleanest, cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use at all.
“Secretary John Kerry’s appointment ends four years of climate denial at the highest levels of government, offering hope that the Biden Administration will confront the climate crisis with the urgency it demands,” said Bradley Campbell, President of Conservation Law Foundation. “This global threat will affect every aspect of our lives: our homes, our economy, our security, and our health. Mr. Kerry will need to hit the ground sprinting for the U.S. to re-establish itself as a climate leader.”
On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Baker administration announced that Massachusetts will make reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 legally binding under the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act. However, the state’s landmark climate law still needs a clear path forward to reach that goal.
“Three years ago this month, state energy officials totally disregarded—as ‘disruptive’—the attempts of Spanish-speaking residents to participate in a critical decision that will affect their community for decades,” said Amy Laura Cahn, Senior Attorney and Interim Director for Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice at Conservation Law Foundation, “Since that time, the EFSB has consistently failed to live up to its language access obligations under federal law. In yet another insult to this community, residents with limited access to technology will be further marginalized by a remote hearing.”
The presidential election result is a welcome relief – especially amid the ongoing stresses of an unrelenting pandemic, hobbling economic hardship, and an overdue racial reckoning. We all deserve to take a moment and celebrate that. But even as we see the core values of our democracy vindicated after relentless voter suppression efforts, now is not the time to grow complacent.
