A regional resource for Cape & Islands climate activists
February 26, 2021
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As Climate Change Increases Flooding, Mass. Likely to See Damaged Property Costs Surge, Report Says
Advocates call for plans to manage a retreat from low-lying coastal areas
By David Abel, The Boston Globe, February 22, 2021
In January 2018. the Brant Rock section of Marshfield suffered at high tide during a blizzard.
By mid-century, nearly 50,000 homes a year in Massachusetts will face a substantial risk of structural damage from flooding, an 11 percent increase from today, according to a report.
As sea levels rise and storms become more powerful as a result of climate change, flooding will pose a serious threat to nearly 4.3 million homes across the country by 2051. That could cause annual losses of more than $32 billion, a 61 percent increase from the estimated costs today, according to an analysis by First Street Foundation, a New York nonprofit research group that specializes in flood risk.
The growing dangers are likely to spur insurance companies to increase their premiums and cost the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides government-backed coverage, billions in additional losses. “Flood risk brings with it real and potentially devastating financial impacts that aren’t being priced into the market or considered by most Americans,” said Matthew Eby, executive director of First Street Foundation.
In Massachusetts, the financial losses from flooding will probably rise to an estimated $316 million, a 36 percent increase from today, according to the report. The state now ranks sixth in terms of the number of residential properties — those with up to four units — likely to experience structural damage from flooding. Read more.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“A lot of our infrastructure systems have a tipping point,” said Jennifer M. Jacobs, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire. And the tipping point could be an inch."
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Watch "Climate Change Denier" - a powerful new music video by Climate Collaborator / songwriter/ playwright Maureen Condon. Watch here.
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The Inter-/National Stage |
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Coast-to-Coast Crises Waiting to Happen
What happened in Texas is a warning for the rest of America
By Christopher Flavelle, The New York Times, Feb. 24, 2021
When extreme weather knocked out power and water in Texas last week, it represented a profound warning for the rest of the country: The nation’s vital infrastructure remains fundamentally unprepared for the shocks of climate change.
The problem isn’t just underinvestment, experts said, but the assumption that it’s good enough to design and build infrastructure to meet the environmental conditions of the past. Climate change is upending that assumption.
What’s at stake: Everything that underpins modern life, including roads and railways, dams, drinking water and sewer systems, power plants, industrial waste sites and even our homes.
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Cape Cod Commission Unanimously Amends Regional Policy Plan to Include Climate Mitigation Goals
The Cape Cod Commission is making the fight against climate change a top priority by amending its overarching policy plan to include climate mitigation goals.
Commissioners voted today to approve amendments to the 2018 Regional Policy Plan (RPP) that will promote clean energy, carbon sequestration, and greener alternatives in the building and transportation sectors.
Those goals will mean the commission encourages electric vehicle adoption, work-from-home policies, and electric heat pumps in homes and commercial buildings, among other measures.
“We’ve identified the need to … support, advance, and contribute as a region to the Commonwealth’s interim and long-term greenhouse gas reductions goals and initiatives, and this includes a statewide net zero carbon target by 2050,” explained Kristy Senatori, executive director of the commission.
Climate activists with the environmental groups 350 Cape Cod and Sierra Club prompted the commission to amend the 2018 RPP after filing a citizen’s petition. In their petition, activists offered 10 of their own amendments. Read more.
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Cape Air’s Excellent Sustainability Program
By Judith Holt, The Sandwich Enterprise, Feb. 19, 2021
On Cape Cod there is an impressive constellation of talented and experienced people working to combat climate change. Jim Wolf, sustainability director of Cape Air, stands out. Joining with his brother, Cape Air founder and CEO Dan Wolf, Jim Wolf has worked since 2009 to help the company do everything possible to mitigate its climate impact..
In 2009, recognizing climate change science as reality, the company created a Strategic Sustainability Initiative. The company has received many awards for its successes in six critical areas of focus:
- Developing renewable energy projects at Cape Air facilities
- Implementing energy-efficiency measures facilities
- Reducing, reusing, recycling, and sourcing sustainable products
- Using new technologies and procedures to increase the fuel efficiency of the aircraft fleet
- Helping employees save money and “go green” at home
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Partnering with airports and communities on local initiatives Read more.
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No-Cost Small Business Comprehensive Assessments for Existing Buildings
Cape Light Compact's Small Business Program provides no-cost energy assessments that offer information on energy savings measures ranging from quick low-cost improvements to longer-term upgrades on your existing building. The resulting energy action plan indicates costs and savings related to specific energy efficiency improvements.
Who is eligible? Any business that uses less than 1.5 million kWh per year and has an active Eversource electric account may participate in this program.
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The Paul M. Minus Memorial Fund
Your gift will continue his climate work and legacy
The Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative is grateful to announce that a memorial fund has been established to honor the legacy of the Faith Communities Environmental Network's founder and leader Rev. Dr. Paul Minus.
For all who knew Paul and value his work to establish FCEN and grow the Climate Collaborative, t he Paul M. Minus Memorial Fund provides a way to honor the life of this good man and continue his important work.
Your gift will support the ongoing work of FCEN and Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative to "care for creation" on Cape Cod, the Islands...and the planet.
Please click here to learn more about the Paul M. Minus Memorial Fund and consider making a donation in memory of Paul. (Alternately, checks may be made payable to the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative and mailed to P.O. Box 46, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675. Please note "The Paul M. Minus Memorial Fund" in the memo line.)
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If you are part of a faith institution and are seeking an eco-justice climate activist community, contact the Climate Collaborative's Faith Communities Environmental Network for more information and learn how you or your faith institution might get involved!
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In charge of electric vehicles
ChargePoint stations are popping up all over Barnstable
By Marina Davalos, The Barnstable Patriot, February 18, 2021SKIP
In the decades to come, fuel stops at gas stations may be a thing of the past.
In September 2020, the State of California passed an executive order to ban the sale of internal combustion passenger vehicles and light trucks by 2035. In January of 2021, Massachusetts followed California to become the second state to ban sales of gas-powered vehicles by 2035, part of a broader plan to reduce emissions by 2050, as outlined in the Massachusetts 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap at www.mass.gov. (cont'd below)
"Noting that transportation is the second-largest generator
of carbon emissions after energy production, Cape Cod Chamber
of Commerce CEO (and Climate Collaborative board member)
Wendy Northcross said, 'Studies suggest more retailers are eager to
install charging stations, as people will come to charge up and shop.'"
It’s a lot to think about. Over time, the use of electric vehicles (EVs), by lowering carbon emissions, will change not just our environmental landscape but our cultural landscape as well. David Anthony, Barnstable's Chief Procurement Officer, said making the switch to EVs will result in new ways of thinking for both drivers and town services. Read more.
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Consumer Reports Launches ‘Green Choice’ To Steer Consumers, Automakers Toward Cleaner Cars
New designation comes as two-thirds of Americans are concerned about health impacts of emissions
AutoChannel.com, Feb. 18, 2021
Consumer Reports (CR), the nonprofit consumer research, testing, and advocacy organization, today announced the launch of Green Choice, a new initiative to make information about auto emissions more accessible to consumers. As part of Green Choice, CR will use a new green leaf icon to designate cars and trucks in its ratings that produce among the lowest amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) and smog-forming emissions, based on EPA data.
"To most of us on the road, green means go, but increasingly it also signals making a choice in the marketplace that is healthier for communities, better for our environmental footprint, and easier on everyday finances. We look forward to bringing our independent rigorous testing and analysis to more products as part of CR's Green Choice to better inform consumers and further incentivize manufacturers to meet these important consumer demands,” said Marta L. Tellado, President and CEO of Consumer Reports.
Greenhouse gases are emitted from the tailpipes of cars and trucks that combust fuel. The gases act like a blanket around Earth, trapping energy in the atmosphere and causing it to warm. Typically there is a balance, but excess emissions activities like driving are changing the planet’s climate, raising sea levels, harming ecosystems, and causing dangerous effects to human health and welfare, according to the EPA.
Two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans are “very or somewhat” worried about tailpipe emissions contributing to health conditions related to air quality, according to a January 2021 nationally representative CR survey of 2,223 adults. Read more.
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How to Ensure Electric Cars Aren’t Just for Rich People
In late January, General Motors announced a pledge to only sell electric vehicles by 2035 and make roughly 30 different models of automobile without a traditional combustion engine. A week later, Ford revealed it was pouring more than $20 billion into its EV program and that it would only offer electric cars in Europe by 2030. By 2025, Jaguar will become an all-electric luxury line of cars. Meanwhile, Tesla, the world’s biggest EV maker, is building a massive factory near Austin, Texas, where it will build not just sedans and trucks but also, potentially, the batteries.
As automakers ramp up EV production, U.S. car buyers are increasingly making the switch themselves. With more than a dozen new electric cars and SUVs set to hit U.S. showrooms this year, sales are poised to reach record levels in 2021, industry analysts say. Read more.
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Energy & The Built Environment |
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The battle over climate change is boiling over on the home front
Municipalities want new buildings to go all electric, spurning gas-fired stoves and heating systems. The gas industry disagrees
A new front has opened in the battle over climate change: The kitchen.
Cities and towns across the country are rewriting local building codes so that new homes and offices would be blocked from using natural gas, a fossil fuel that when burned emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. New laws would force builders to install heat pumps instead of gas furnaces and electric kitchen stoves instead of gas burners.
But the American Gas Association, a trade group, and its members are campaigning in statehouses across the country to prohibit the new local ordinances. Four states last year adopted such laws, and this year similar legislation has been introduced in 12 more.
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MassCEC offers primer on new technologies for a clean energy home
Want to transition your home to clean energy, but unsure of where to start? The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center guide provides an in-depth overview of technologies available to decarbonize your home with a description of each technology and when to use it, the costs and incentives available, an overview of the installation process, and how to get the most from your system. Topics include:
- Air Source Heat Pumps
- Ground Source Heat Pumps
- Automated Wood Heating
- Solar Hot Water
- Heat Pump Water Heaters
- Battery Storage
- Solar Electricity
- Electric Vehicles
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...and Cape Light Compact provides the incentives!
Proper insulation is key to maximizing home efficiency and comfort. Qualifying year-round renters and income-eligible households may receive no-cost air sealing and 100% off insulation costs (compared to our standard offer of 75% off) upon completion of a no-cost home energy assessment.
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Mass Save Virtual Energy Workshops for Educators
Workshops for K-12 teachers, CTE teachers and afterschool program leaders
These free workshops use NEED Project teacher-tested educational materials, providing comprehensive, objective information about the scientific concepts, sources and uses of energy – and their impact on the environment, economy and society
Please register at least one week prior to workshop in order to receive materials.
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ELA Conference & Virtual Eco-Marketplace
Wed., March 3
Thurs., March 4
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The Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA) annual conference--virtual this year--is for landscape professionals, land managers, home gardeners, and anyone wishing to expand their knowledge about the intersection between managed landscapes and nature. Wednesday's sessions will probe landscapes bracing for climate change. Thursday's sessions explore the connection between beautiful design and landscapes that restore natural systems, provide valuable habitat, and offer climate relief.
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Virtual Town Hall with Congressman Keating
March 15
5:00-6:00 PM
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Save the Date! Virtual Town Hall with Congressman Bill Keating Congressman Keating is holding a virtual town hall for constituents, which will be moderated by State Senator Su Moran of the Plymouth-Barnstable State Senate District. Make sure to register and be prepared to ask questions about the Joint Base Cape Cod Machine Gun Range project. All are welcome.
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Ceres 2021 Conference
March 22 - 25
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Ceres 2021 Transform Tomorrow Today virtual conference will explore climate policy at the state, regional, federal and global levels. With fresh momentum building for bold climate policy at all levels of government, learn how policy makers, investors, and corporate voices can move the needle toward creating real change at the federal and state level. |
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Cities are sinking under the weight of urban development. A new study quantifies what big buildings are doing to the ground beneath San Francisco and other cities as sea levels rise. Read more.
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A team from Harvard University plans to test a controversial scheme known as solar geoengineering, which aims to counter climate change by spraying tiny particles into the stratosphere to reflect more of the sun’s heat back into space. Read more.
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Rescue dogs rock. Check out Mr. Morty's excellent threads and zang dance moves to Uptown Funk on Tiktok. (Sorry, this has absolutely nothing to do with climate change.) Watch here and turn up the volume.
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Check out the session recordings below.
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Watch 30+ videos and learn from experts around the region, state and country.
Join the conversation and get involved!
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MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATIVE RESOURCES
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We are an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to reach carbon neutrality — or net zero — on Cape Cod and the Islands of Massachusetts by enhancing communication, collaboration, and activism among organizations, programs, and individuals committed to mitigating the climate crisis. We depend upon the generosity of our stakeholders to conduct our work. All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
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The Climate Action Alerts newsletter is compiled and crafted by Fran Schofield. If you've got a climate story from your home, school, workplace, town or organization, please be in touch!
And don't forget to share this action alert with your friends and suggest they subscribe here.
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