Environment

OP-ED: How Will Climate Change Impact Transportation in Massachusetts?

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The following piece was submitted by State Sen. Will Brownsberger (D – Belmont) who represents Watertown:

I spent Wednesday morning at a Rappapport Institute forum on climate change and transportation infrastructure. When I think about the local impacts of climate change, what I worry about most is water — flooding due to sea level rise. Increased precipitation is also an issue, but for the coastal region that I represent, the big issue is sea level rise. The areas I serve are sheltered from direct coastal flooding and do not face immediate inundation risks, but every legislator has to be concerned about the vulnerabilities of the transportation system that the region depends on. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has lead the region’s efforts to understand climate change — making the initial investment in the Boston Harbor Flood Risk Model to better understand the risks to the central artery and harbor tunnels.

Environment

OP-ED: Sen. Brownsberger Looks at Local Flooding Risks From Climate Change

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As a legislator, I’ve been concerned to reduce our contributions to climate change.  Over the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to better understand the local flooding risks caused by the climate changes we seem unable to prevent. It’s hard to know how much the seas are going to rise. First, no one knows how much the people of the world will be able to reduce carbon emissions. Second, even within a given emissions scenario, the uncertainties are considerable.  For example, if we just assume continually growing emissions, the estimates of probable local sea level rise vary by a factor of two from 3.2 feet to 7.4 feet by 2100. Much of Boston lies quite low, so these uncertainties matter.

Environment

Group Holding Discussion of How Climate Change Could Impact Massachusetts

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A meeting will be held about how climate change will impact Massachusetts. ProgressiveWatertown sent out the following announcement:

Please save Saturday, Oct. 21, when ProgressiveWatertown will host a public forum on Climate. The Forum will take place at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., starting at 1:30 p.m. Attendance is free. We have three wonderful speakers to lead the discussion; Emily Norton, the Director of the Sierra Club of MA, George Bachrach, the former President of the Environmental League of MA (ELM), and Chris Dempsey, the director of Transportation of MA.