Originally posted on January 16, 2014 in Law and the Environment
On Tuesday, Governor Patrick announced a series of climate change preparedness initiatives, including about $50 million in funds for a variety of programs. Before summarizing the plan, I’ll note that Massachusetts appears to have jettisoned “adaptation” as the descriptor for programs designed to mitigate the effects of climate change. We are no longer “adapting”. Now, like the Boy Scouts, we will be “prepared.” Shrewd call.
The biggest piece of the pie with be $40 million for a municipal “resilience” grant program, the main purpose of which will be to harden energy supply infrastructure, including projects to deploy micro-grids. There will also be money to address coastal infrastructure and dam repair.
For years, my view was that we should focus on reducing GHG emissions and thus avoid the problem, but I have been persuaded that the time for adaptation, or at least preparedness, has come. However, as reflected in this cover for the Boston Herald, our local tabloid newspaper, not everyone seems to agree.