“The fight against climate change isn’t about just one issue — it’s the whole ballgame. Climate change touches every problem we face today and it threatens the future of our families and communities. We have the tools and resources to meet this crisis and build a better future for our state. The only question is: do we have the urgency and the courage?”
Climate change is an existential threat to our state, our country, and our world — and it’s not just coming, it’s already here.
This year alone, Massachusetts residents faced record-breaking heat and rainfall, and more damaging storms than ever before. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently called climate change a “code red for humanity.” The predicted rise in sea levels as a result of climate change means that significant portions of the densest part of Boston, as well as other low-lying coastal communities like Revere and Quincy, could be under water in the next few decades.
And, while all Massachusetts residents will feel the effects of climate change and face a level of risk, lower-income communities and communities of color are likely to be the most significantly impacted. Our state has the third-highest number of affordable housing units at risk of coastal flooding in the country, and Boston is among the top cities in the country where historically redlined neighborhoods are overlaid with flood zones.
Unless we act now, this crisis will only deepen.
As a mother and a public servant, I refuse to accept that future for our kids and our state. That’s why I’ve been proud to stand with advocates and lead the fight for climate justice. Together, we’ve already won key legislation to commit the state to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and write environmental justice into Massachusetts law. We organized 28 legislators this year to call for ending state incentives for new fossil fuel infrastructure. I’ve also repeatedly filed legislation to create equitable access to solar energy and protect communities that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution.
Now, we must go further. We know how to win the fight against climate change — by building a green economy that not only sustains our planet, but all of our families as well.
Massachusetts can meet this moment and lead the nation with a Green New Deal for our state to build a future that is not just cleaner, but better. A Chang-Díaz Administration will:
Transition Massachusetts to completely renewable energy, by:
Meeting our state’s electricity needs with 100% renewable, carbon-free energy by 2030
Eliminating all carbon emissions from new buildings by 2030 and transitioning existing buildings to become zero-carbon by 2045
Expanding, electrifying, and making fare-free public transit systems across the state, including establishing East-West rail and robust regional transit networks
Blocking the development of new fossil fuel infrastructure projects
Invest in building the 21st century green energy economy to power this transition, including creating tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs right here in Massachusetts, while creating workforce development opportunities for women, people of color, limited English proficient residents, and workers without college degrees.
Defend low income communities and communities of color from the disproportionate impacts of pollution and climate change, and leverage the growth of the green energy sector to build generational wealth in these communities.
Original source can be found here.
