On May 13, 2015, MAPC hosted an unprecedented Climate Preparedness Summit at UMass Boston in partnership with the City of Boston and Mayor Martin Walsh. The historic event convened the mayors and managers of the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition* to sign the Metro Boston Climate Preparedness Commitment. By signing the Commitment, these leaders pledge to work together to prepare the region for climate change and to continue reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Coalition also launched a Taskforce to address vulnerabilities in the region’s shared critical infrastructure, such as transportation, food systems, energy, clean water, telecommunications, and health and safety protections. The Taskforce will help to coordinate a regional and cross-governmental effort to protect critical infrastructure and other vital resources and systems. The Taskforce will identify, evaluate and implement strategies for preparing the Metro Boston region for climate change. It will also develop best practices for local government, make policy recommendations, set regional priorities based on the goals outlined at the Summit and develop an action-based work plan to present to the Metro Mayors Coalition on an annual basis.
This new regional platform will ensure coordination and integration of existing and planned mitigation and resiliency work to optimize the outcomes of both efforts. It will also prioritize working fairly, equitably, and inclusively to ensure that vulnerable populations have access to protective measures and adaptive capacity in the face of climate change.
The fourteen municipalities that comprise the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition are geographically connected, with more than 1.3 million residents and nearly 940,000 jobs. The represented cities and towns share risks and vulnerabilities because of the region’s shared resources and many forms of communal infrastructure and critical services and emergency systems.
The Taskforce includes representatives from all signatories of this Commitment and other participants as determined by Taskforce members.
Click here to read the Metro Boston Climate Preparedness Commitment. For more information about the Metro Boston Climate Preparedness Commitment or Taskforce, please reach out to Axum Teferra, Energy Planner at MAPC.
*The Metropolitan Mayors Coalition includes the following fourteen municipalities: Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, and Winthrop
