THE CLIMATE CRISIS is the most pressing issue of our time — and increasingly it’s an intractable one. Nowhere is this borne out more in Massachusetts than on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Ever worsening storms have led to rising sea levels and eroding shores, and temperature changes are affecting marine and terrestrial ecosystems […]
Climate change
Posted inEnvironment
Climate change demands raising infrastructure standards
PERCHED ON THE North Atlantic, with a shoreline prone to flooding and a history of damaging Nor’easters, and surrounded by the fastest warming ocean waters in the world, Massachusetts of all places needs to prepare now for the ravages of climate change. From Cape Ann to Cape Cod, our infrastructure is not built to withstand […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cracking the climate code
AN ARCANE STATE BOARD, known to few outside the world of design and construction, is the setting of a furious clash the outcome of which could influence the amount of climate-curdling emissions that pour out of chimneys, as well as the future supply of housing in Massachusetts, where affordable homes are already scarce. The Board […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Using art to highlight Eastie climate change
IT’S AN UNUSUAL SIGHT: Colored ribbons 18-feet-long stretched taut over steel bars, melting into brightly colored duct tape clinging to pavement outside the East Boston Public Library. The creators of the collaborative art installation, called “RisingEMOTIONS,” say it visualizes the public’s emotional state about flooding due to sea level rise. The project is led by […]
Posted inOpinion
Changing the climate change conversation
DATA FROM THE Yale Project on Climate Communication reveals the surprising fact that 70 percent of Americans understand that climate change is occurring, but 64 percent shy away from discussing it. They find the topic too daunting, too polarizing, or perhaps best left to scientists. However, climate change is not just the purview of scientists, academics, […]
Posted inEnvironment
Healey sues ExxonMobil, alleges climate change deception
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY sued ExxonMobil Corp. on Thursday, accusing the company of misleading Massachusetts investors and consumers by withholding information linking its fossil fuel products to climate change. The 205-page lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, says Exxon scientists predicted 37 years ago, with “astonishing accuracy,” that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels would reach 415 […]
Posted inOpinion
Bringing nature back into our environment
EVEN IF WE STOPPED Using fossil fuels tomorrow, here in the Northeast we will continue to face more intense storms, more frequent drought, and more extreme heat. And virtually no one is doing enough to protect people, property, and the natural world from these weather extremes. Just as climate activists are rising up to demand […]
Posted inOpinion
Colleges can lead on climate change
AT THEIR BEST, American universities and colleges are problem-solving institutions whose work is rooted in a set of universal values. This is a unique position in our society, one that allows professors, students, and alumni to draw on diverse expertise and skills to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Few challenges are as daunting, complex, […]
Posted inEnvironment
Climate change news coverage shifts
A WEEK HAS passed since the global climate strike that sent thousands of students and activists to the streets of Boston, along with millions of others around the world. This is usually when the interest fades away — but perhaps this time is different. News coverage on local global warming impacts may be the biggest […]
Posted inThe Download
Climate change news coverage shifts
A week has passed since the global climate strike that sent thousands of students and activists to the streets of Boston, along with millions of others around the world. This is usually when the interest fades away — but perhaps this time is different. News coverage on local global warming impacts may be the biggest […]