Climate change

Harbor barrier study undermined by assumptions

Environment/ Opinion

Harbor barrier study undermined by assumptions

Starting point of UMass Boston research dictated conclusions

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A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY releases a report advising on the course of action that a major urban center should pursue to prepare for predicted sea-level rise and increased frequency and severity of storm events.  What is the public reaction?  How is the report evaluated?  Does a single study based on numerous unexamined assumptions set the course(...)

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Harbor-wide dikes get thumbs down

Environment

Harbor-wide dikes get thumbs down

Barr-funded study says miles-long barriers not the way to address sea level rise

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A NEW ANALYSIS SUGGESTS incremental, shore-based initiatives are more practical and cost-effective in addressing sea level rise in Boston than harbor-wide dikes or barrier systems. The study addresses a debate that has been simmering below the surface for some time – what to do about the sea’s encroachment on the city, as exemplified by storms(...)

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On climate action, do not hit snooze

Environment/ Opinion

On climate action, do not hit snooze

Entire regional economy is at stake

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MARK TWAIN’S WITTY aphorism that climate is what you expect and weather is what you get has been sorely tested in Boston and the northeast this past quarter. If the weather this winter is anything to go by, what we are getting must surely be pushing even the most recalcitrant climate denialists into revised expectations. “One(...)

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Do climate resiliency the right way

Environment/ Opinion

Do climate resiliency the right way

Extreme weather is a threat to overall economy

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PROMOTING CLIMATE CHANGE resiliency is top of mind for Massachusetts residents and businesses. The 2018 nor’easters have placed considerable stress on our infrastructure and communities, as well as the public’s consciousness.  Sixty-five percent of voters now say that climate change is affecting storms, according to a recent WBUR poll, conducted by the MassINC Polling Group.(...)

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The Boston climate trial that might have been

Energy/ Environment/ Opinion

The Boston climate trial that might have been

Climate activist Marla Marcum and others were poised to test a 'necessity defense'

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“THE IDEA THAT natural gas combats climate change is a sleight of hand,” writes Bill McKibben in a recent essay that pulls no punches. “No one wants to hear this,” he observes, not Republicans or the oil and gas industry, not Democrats (especially the Obama alums now working in the industry)—and not journalists, who “don’t(...)

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Severe storm effects are the new norm

Economy/ Environment/ Technology/ Opinion

Severe storm effects are the new norm

Rising sea levels and urban flooding will wreak havoc without immediate fixes

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ONLY TWO MONTHS after surging tides and high winds flooded MBTA stations, knocked out power and sent three feet of water into the streets of Boston, it’s all happening again. The governor and the mayor call press conferences to lay out preparations, urge caution and call up the National Guard. Schools close. Businesses get out(...)

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With more control, communities choose clean energy

Energy/ Opinion

With more control, communities choose clean energy

Aggregation saves money while meeting climate goals

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ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS, COMMUNITIES are taking control over where their energy comes from. By leveraging local bulk purchasing power, more than 100 towns and cities in the Bay State have increased the amount of renewable energy they buy each year, while at the same time producing savings for consumers. Community Choice Energy (CCE, also known as(...)

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14-mile dike could protect Greater Boston from sea level rise

Environment/ Opinion

14-mile dike could protect Greater Boston from sea level rise

Barrier would run from Cohasset to Swampscott

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A RECENT story in the Boston Globe, with the headline “Floods seen as warning of Boston’s future,” described how sea level rise and storm surge effects predicted for later in the century made their appearance during last week’s bomb cyclone. The article also mentioned various studies on what to do about sea level rise planned or(...)

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Luck is not a strategy for climate change

Environment/ Opinion

Luck is not a strategy for climate change

Barr Foundation committing $5m to resilience effort

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BOSTON AND MASSACHUSETTS have climate goals that are among the most ambitious in the United States, yet climate change is a global challenge, with some impacts already evident and likely to worsen. These include sea level rise and far more severe weather than usual – such as our extreme drought in 2016, the record snowfall(...)

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