Storm surge, flooding could spell disaster for Boston neighborhoods. Preventing it won’t be cheap.

In Massachusetts, there’s widespread agreement among politicians and the public that climate change is real and poses a significant threat to the state’s future. Case in point: Governor Maura Healey’s decision to create a new, cabinet level Climate Chief position to craft a cohesive climate-change response that spans state government.

But what if that isn’t enough? In a recent Boston Globe opinion piece, Northeastern University professor Joan Fitzgerald and two coauthors argued that Massachusetts needs a brand-new coastal adaptation agency to organize and execute a cohesive response that spans the state’s shoreline. Fitzgerald, who was the lead author of the Boston Foundation’s Inaugural Boston Climate Progress Report, joins Adam Reilly to make the case for a new agency and some big new investments.

Also joining the conversation: Globe business reporter Jon Chesto, whose recent coverage of a proposed floodgate in Fort Point Channel highlights how big engineering projects could help coastal communities adapt — as well as the huge political hurdles that need to be cleared for that to happen.

Email us your feedback, thoughts and questions at TalkingPolitics@wgbh.org or find us online at https://gbhnews.org/talkingpolitics. While you’re at it, why not subscribe to the GBH Politics Newsletter? Visit https://gbhnews.org/politicsnewsletter.

GBH News is a premier source for in-depth local news and original story telling based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Subscribe to the GBH YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/gbhnews?sub_confirmation=1
Follow GBH News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gbhnews/
Like GBH News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gbhnews/
Follow GBH News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GBHNews

source

About The Author

GBH News

See author's posts