I had been Selectman in Belmont for only a couple of months, when, in the major June 1998 rain storm, a constituent called me late one night to come see the raw sewage rising out of the sink in his finished basement.
Carbon and Climate
building energy, divestment, emissions data, personal footprint, preparing for climate change, reducing emissions in ma, science and goals
Keeping climate change in perspective
Below is a text that I expect to deliver in rough form this afternoon at a rally in Concord for action on climate change sponsored by 350.org.
Carbon
If the carbon issue were being approached with cold rationality; evaluating the data, risks, costs, and so on, the result would be a truely massive effort by all humanity to change what we are doing. As things are, the problem is characterized by piddling measures completely underscale. Read the history of the first world war …
Taxes, environment and energy
Keep up the good work. The tax that makes sense to me is increasing gas taxes and spending the money on, in priority order: expanded mass transit (this helps drivers too by reducing congestion and wear and tear on the road), roads and bridges. Making gas more expensive makes sense from a global warming …
Climate/Energy Policy Updates
In this legislative session in Massachusets, we are not expecting much new legislative progress on energy issues, but at the federal level legislation is front and center. Congressman Ed Markey and Energy Secretary Chu seem to be leading us in a good direction.
Alewife updates — DCR progress on flooding issues
The single most immediate priority for flood control is assuring that the Alewife Brook and the Mystic River have the capacity to drain large rainstorms. Recent progress is encouraging.