Amidst rising concerns for unprecedented heat waves and extreme cold alike throughout the last year, the Massachusetts Baker-Polito Administration released at the end of 2022 the “MA Climate Change Assessment.” It is the first data-driven state-wide projection report of the effects climate change will have on the region’s communities, environments, and industries through the end of the 21st century.
“The Assessment draws on the best available climate and impact assessment science, active stakeholder engagement, and broad state agency perspectives and was developed over the last year with state agency staff, local and federal government partners, an expert climate science panel, non-profit and community group representatives, and the public,” the administration remarked in a statement.
The report outlines areas where critical action is needed through evaluating the most urgent climate impacts across 7 regions and 5 different sectors (human, infrastructure, natural environment, governance, economy). It stresses three findings: temperatures have gone up over the years (by at least 2 degrees Fahrenheit) and will continue to increase; there could be both fewer rainy days and more intense rainstorms; and sea levels will rise and combine with more powerful coastal storms. These changes beg the following questions: How big of a climate effect will this have? Will populations living in environmental justice areas be disproportionately affected? Are we currently doing enough to adapt to this impact?
Here are some specific ways in which the 5 sectors will be threatened:
Human: Climate change will reap dramatic impacts to MA residents’ health, welfare, and safety. Due to extreme heat, degraded air quality, and dangerous storms, we will see negative health and cognitive consequences amongst the population including premature deaths, injuries, childhood asthma, and learning loss. Boston’s heat-induced mortality rate is predicted to triple by 2050. In addition, these degrading weather conditions will lead to emergency response delays for health, safety, and traffic first responders. These effects will most directly affect marginalized communities, specifically those living in areas like East Boston, Lower Roxbury, Somerville, and Chelsea/Everett.
Infrastructure: In addition to health and safety concerns, these climate concerns will directly impact Massachussett’s buildings and transportation systems, and how we receive our electricity and water supply. Some predicted consequences include damage to inland buildings and drainage systems from heavy rainfall, damage to electric transmission and utility distribution infrastructure as a result of extreme heat stress, and damage and loss of railway transit services associated with flooding and track buckling in high temperatures. For those that depend on public transportation systems like MBTA within the cities, climate change will pose a pressing concern.
Natural Environment: Masschussett’s natural world will be negatively harmed as well by climate change, with severe hits to ecosystems, natural resources, and plant and animal survival. Summers in Mass by the end of the century could feel like present-day South Carolina summers, with temperatures tipping over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. As such, the coming decades will likely see the degradation of numerous ecosystems within the state. Warming waters, drought, and increased run-off will destroy freshwater ecosystems; ocean acidification will lead to losses in marine ecosystems, particularly in the Gulf of Maine; rises in the sea level and storm surges will degrade coastal wetlands; and changing precipitation, increasing wildfire frequency, and increasing pest occurrence will dramatically sap forest health.
Governance: The climate will also put a strain on state and local government owned facilities, government finances, and demand for government services. We will likely observe reductions in state and municipal revenues due to reduced property tax bases from coastal and inland flood risk. In addition, there will be increased costs of climate-induced migration and abrupt responses to local population changes, and greater demand for governmental services including emergency response, food assistance, and state-sponsored health care. Disadvantaged communities will need to be specifically protected as they will be the most vulnerable to abrupt climate disasters.
Economy: Lastly, people’s ability to work and make a living due to damages to health, infrastructure, and our natural environment will be negatively impacted by climate change, and it will be increasingly more difficult for people to find affordable housing facilitated by direct damage and scarcity. We will see reduced work abilities particularly for outdoor workers during extreme heat, as well as commute delays due to damaged infrastructure. In addition, the productivity of marine fisheries and aquaculture like in Boston Harbor will decrease from changing ocean temperatures and acidification, which leads to decreased revenues and impacts on related industries.
Readers can also explore the climate impact projections of each of the 7 Massachusetts regions here.
Though the report outlines concerning facts and predictions, it is nevertheless a channel for hope and a call to climate action for both public and private sectors. The administration’s publication of the MA Climate Change Assessment was accompanied by the release of the “Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2050,” which provides the Commonwealth with a comprehensive plan to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions limit. In addition, the climate assessment and its findings will directly inform state leaders as they prepare to launch the first five-year update to the State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP) that will be released in Fall 2023, which will map out how the state will approach and tackle climate risk reduction. The assessment will serve as a critical framing resource across the state as people work collectively to reduce risk and build resilience.
Acting Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Dawn Brantley praises that, “the integration of the MA Climate Assessment into the 2023 SHMCAP Update represents Massachusetts’ continued nationwide leadership in ensuring the best available climate science is guiding our cross-government hazard mitigation planning and action.”
Taken together, the Climate Change Assessment, the 2050 CECP, and the SHMCAP represent a continued commitment from the state to improving the understanding of the impacts of climate change on the people, places, and resources of the Commonwealth, and making updated and improved response strategies. Strategic, comprehensive, and data-driven climate action has been central to the Baker-Polito Administration over the past years, as Massachusetts has led the nation in decarbonization, resilience planning, partnerships, and implementation. Governor Baker signed comprehensive climate change legislation that codifies into law, furthering the Commonwealth’s efforts to combat climate change and protect vulnerable communities.
“Massachusetts continues to take a leadership role in climate action, and this assessment serves as another important tool that will guide the state as we improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change,” Governor Charlie Baker said in a statement. “We are proud of our continued partnership with communities as we work together to build a more resilient Commonwealth utilizing updated and improved climate change information that is easily accessible.”
Outside of efforts from the state government, it will be essential for community organizations and residents alike to take part in protecting our precious home. The Massachusetts Climate Change Clearinghouse (Resilient MA) provides data and information relevant to climate change adaptation and mitigation across the state. It outlines support tools that can enhance climate resilience for local planners, practitioners, policy-makers, and the public alike. As Massachusetts cities and towns build resilience to climate change, here are some strategies that citizens should keep in mind:
Nature-Based Solutions: It will be crucial to implement adaptation measures that focus on the protection, restoration, and management of natural and ecological systems to safeguard public health, provide clean air and water, increase natural hazard resilience, and reduce carbon emissions. These measures will boost climate resilience by reducing risks from flooding, erosion, drought, and heat islands, keeping our most vulnerable neighbors and community assets safer; offering cost-effective solutions to protect our aging infrastructure; support ecosystems through biodiverse systems; and spur economic activity from creating jobs in local natural resource-based industries (like agriculture, forestry, construction, tourism).
Environmental Justice & Equity: Climate change is an important environmental justice issue because it has disproportionate impacts on socially vulnerable populations. With climate change expected to exacerbate current and future vulnerabilities in disadvantaged communities, municipalities and community groups must focus on addressing existing environmental, economic, and social disparities.
Public Health & Healthcare: Climate adaptation strategies that protect public health include building flood-resistant emergency services complexes; raising awareness of ways to avoid contact and exposure to flood water; and improving the baseline health of a community so that residents are more resistant to climate change hazards.
While some options might seem out of reach for individual citizens, there are numerous ways one can take action in climate adaptation. From simple measures like estimating your home’s carbon footprint through CoolClimate Calculator, to specific programs like EPA’s Soak Up the Rain initiative seek to increase precipitation through green infrastructure, to fighting for clean energy innovation through organizations like the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, we can all choose to fight for our home.
To mitigate the effects as outlined in the MA Climate Change Assessment, different communities, sectors, and individuals of Massachusetts must come together to work towards a safer, cleaner, and healthier future, one step at a time.
