He came at us and probably comes at everyone with a mile-a-second intelligence and insight on all things climate. He’s got so much knowledge on so many topics, you have to be willing to press pause while watching the video to think over what he just said. You may not agree with everything, but the purpose of our Deep Dialogues is to engage on these key topics. The video of this presentation and discussion is here.
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ECA Mass chapter meeting – 6/14/22 – Representatives Tami Gouveia and Paul Mark
Representatives Dr. Tami Gouveia and Paul Mark join us for a legislative update on the climate bill now in the conference committee and bills still in the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy committee. Watch the video of the meeting here or click on the image below.
In honor of Larry Rosenberg – The Climate Crisis
This Deep Dialogue was held in honor of Larry Rosenberg, who was a founding member of the Massachusetts chapter of ECA, and served on both the leadership and research teams. Larry died of cancer on May 2, 2022, the day after he finished editing his paper on climate change: “The Climate Crisis: Impending Catastrophe and Possible Responses”. After working much of his life on a number of different causes, Larry recognized climate change as the greatest threat to humanity and the world. To honor Larry and his work and to inspire and rededicate us to the fight against climate change, this Deep Dialogue focusses on the presentation of Larry’s paper and what we can all do to continue his work. The meeting begins with remembrances of Larry from five people who knew him well and were inspired by his activism. Another group of ECA members share presenting Larrys’ paper, which can be seen as a slide show as they speak. The paper is an overview of the current state of the climate crisis, the expected consequences of it, and the many ways we can address it. The paper covers both accepted and controversial means of fighting climate change, and urges us to keep all options open, as our time for reducing catastrophic harm has grown so short. Larry’s paper is here and the video is here.
Climate Change in New England
Our April Deep Dialogue featured a presentation and Q&A with guest speaker Dr. Stephen Young, professor of remote sensing and environmental sustainability at Salem State University. Dr Young focused on his recent publication “Overall warming with reduced seasonality: temperature change in New England, USA, 1900 – 2020”, and discussed the current and impending effects of continued warming in New England. His presentation included photographs of climate change impacts on the North Shore.
If you missed this informative Deep Dialogue, or want to watch the video again, the recording is here. The slides from the presentation are here.
ECA Mass chapter meeting – 4/12/22 – Green Heating and Cooling for Your Home, Legislative update
Did you know heating and hot water for buildings in Massachusetts are responsible for over 25% of statewide greenhouse gas emissions and for a typical home, heating and hot water represent 75% of total energy use? This is the major challenge we face in achieving net zero emissions by 2050 as well as a 50% emissions reduction by 2030.
At our chapter meeting we heard from Bob Zogg, a founder of the HeatSmart Alliance and Joel Boucher, HVAC design engineer for Boucher Energy Systems to learn about real world solutions for “greening our homes” with heat pumps. We began with a presentation from Bob followed by a lively and informative panel discussion and Q&A. The slides for the presentation are here.
For more information, you can reach Bob Zogg at bobzogg@luxsci.net or visit the HeatSmart Alliance website at https://dev.heatsmartalliance.org/. Boucher Energy Systems website is https://boucherenergy.com/ or call 508-473-6648 (note: Boucher Energy Systems does not serve Boston and some surrounding communities).
Roger Luckmann brought us up to date with unfolding state climate legislation with a focus on the Senate climate bill introduced last week – An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward (S.2819)
The video of the “green heating” presentation and panel discussion along with the legislative update are here.
Why we need lifestyle change to fight climate change
Climate change is often seen as a challenge that can be met by technological solutions like renewable energy. While these are necessary parts of the solution, they may not be sufficient, especially in a world where more and more people seek to consume more materials and energy. Yet changes in lifestyles to reduce our carbon footprints is a difficult topic for policy makers and activists.
At our March Deep Dialogue, we heard about the challenge of changing lifestyles from Newton climate activist and scientist, Philip J. Vergragt PhD, who has spent years researching “sustainable consumption” and “sustainable lifestyles.” His presentation explored if and how our wellbeing can be maintained – and improved – while reducing our “consumption carbon footprint.” Watch the presentation video, with the Q&A and informative discussion here, and access the presentation slides here. You can also reach Philip directly. His email is pvergragt@outlook.com.
ECA Mass chapter meeting – 3/8/22 – Representative Roy, House Chair Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee (TUE). Offshore wind legislation and the outlook for climate legislation.
Representative Roy provided us with an overview of the offshore wind bill (H.4524) passed by the house last week. Massachusetts has the largest offshore wind potential of any state in the country which will be key to making the state more energy independent. We also heard about the outlook for other initiatives this session including support for electric vehicles and building retrofits to all-electric heating.
Following the presentation, Rep. Roy answered several questions on a range of topics which provided additional clarity on the outlook for climate legislation this session and moving forward.
The video of Rep. Roy’s meeting at our ECA Mass chapter meeting is here.
ECA Mass chapter meeting – 2/8/22 – Senator Barrett, State Climate Legislation, Elders for Sound Democracy, & Climate Action Now app
More than 80 people joined us on Zoom for our February chapter meeting for two hours of up-to-the-minute climate news and action. If you missed this information-packed meeting or want to see it again, you can watch the video, with all the slides, announcements and Q&A, here.
We were excited to welcome Senator Mike Barrett, lead author of the state’s landmark climate “roadmap” law and the Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy. He shared details about a brand-new (and controversial) building code proposal from the Baker administration and gave us his perspectives on what to expect in coming weeks as climate bills make their way through the House and Senate. Roger Luckmann of our ECA Mass Legislative Team followed with a clear (and entertaining!) slide show and summary (“MA Legislative Sausage Making: What’s Next?”) about the status of our priority bills and strategy. Our Paul Dryfoos, with several other activists from Elders for Sound Democracy, presented “Working for Voting Rights Where It Matters: Don’t Sit This One Out!,” explaining many ways to make a difference in key states. And we introduced the great new Climate Action Now app, which makes it easy to reach out to legislators on your cell phone
Deep Dialogue – 1/24/22 – Fresh Water and Climate Change
Did you know that only 2.5% of water on Earth is fresh water? And only a small portion of that fresh water is available, at the surface in lakes and rivers, and in groundwater, to sustain human, plant and animal life. Floods, drought and extreme weather are much in the news, as climate change exacerbates our water problems.
At our January conversation series, Betty Krikorian of the ECA Mass Research Team took us on a deep dive into Fresh Water and Climate Change, with a fascinating presentation that helped us understand the increasing threats to our precious fresh water resources. She explored water management and its potential for climate change mitigation, highlighting the water challenges in three very different geographical regions of the United States. Watch the presentation video, with the Q&A and lively discussion here, and access the presentation slides here.
ECA Mass chapter meeting – 1/11/22 – Senator Eldridge and Legislative Advocacy
Our January chapter meeting kicked off the new year with a focus on state legislative advocacy. First we heard from our special guest, Massachusetts Senator Jamie Eldridge, a longtime climate champion, who offered his perspectives on pending climate bills and what to expect in the weeks ahead from legislative committees and the administration. Now is a key time for advocacy, he said! Watch Sen. Eldridge’s informative presentation and the wide-ranging Q&A in the first 25 minutes of the video below. Next Roger Luckmann of our Legislative Team explained more about the legislative timeline and ECA Mass plans for action. Then Roger guided us in an “actionar” – sending emails via Action Network to our state reps and senators in support of our six top priority climate bills about wind energy, electrifying transportation and buildings, forest protection, and environmental justice. See details about all six bills here.