Boston is among the global cities most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. A recent report by the World Wildlife Fund and Allianz found that Boston had the 4th highest risk of physical and economic disaster stemming from sea level rise caused by global warming. If the worst-case projected scenario for sea level rise, were to occur, asset exposure in the City of Boston’s could exceed $460 million by 2050, with additional adverse health effects on the population.
Massachusetts relies on imported energy sources and lags most other states in the production of energy. Massachusetts is 90% dependent on imported fossil fuels compared to the nation at 60%, andNew England, located “at the end of the energy pipeline,” is one of the most energy dependent regions on Earth, making Massachusetts highly vulnerable to price shocks and breaks in supply. For example, 96% of electricity generated in Greater Boston is fueled by non-local sources of natural gas, oil and coal. This will begin to change under Massachusetts’ Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires utilities to obtain 4% of their electricity from renewable sources in 2009 and increases by 1% annually to 9% of all new purchases by 2014. Energy efficiency measures are estimated to be able to meet electricity demand at roughly one-third of the cost of the new supply.
After decades of living large, more Massachusetts communities are implementing Smart Growth plans and zoning. Sincethe passage of Massachusetts General Laws 40R/40S, 28 communities have adopted Smart Growth zoning districts which promote low-impact, high-density, transit-oriented zoning overlays. Approved districts account for over 1,200 acres and 9,500 zoned housing units. As of 2009, 950 housing units have been constructed in these smart growth districts of which 220 are affordable.
The City of Boston continues to invest in a range of sustainability initiatives and innovative public/private partnerships as well as a comprehensive Climate Change Agenda aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (see also Accomplishments & Developments):
As a part its Climate Action Agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Boston is buying at least 11% of its energy from renewable sources and has become anEPA Green Power Partner(see Indicator 5.2.3).As one of 13 inauguralSolar America Cities, Boston along with its partners the US Department of Energy, Mass Tech Collaborative, local utilities and a range of stakeholders, also launched Solar Boston, a half-million dollar initiative to increase solar energy to 25 MW by 2015. Boston is also investing inwind energywith plans for turbines in Boston Harbor, at Logan Airport, on Boston Public Schools and is developing Wind Energy Zoning.
Transportation accounts of 18% of Boston’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the City of Boston has enacted policies to reduce emissions. These include converting the entire city fleet to bio-diesel or hybrid vehicles, providing incentives for hybrid and alternative-fuel cabs through theClean Air Cabs program, promoting transit-oriented housing and commercial development and working with the MBTA to expand transit to underserved neighborhoods such as Dorchester and Mattapan through new in-city stations on the Fairmont Commuter Line and expanding bike paths and lanes throughBoston Bikes (see Transportation).
Boston Public Schools (BPS) are reducing their carbon footprint and providing all children with a healthy environment in which to learn. The Boston Public Schools have earned national recognition for their green practices, which include the use of non-toxic “green” cleaning supplies in all schools, a non-idling ordinance for all school buses, natural gas heating, central control of heating and cooling for all schools and solar panels on three schools, which generates 6.6 KW. The BPS also received $100,000 from the US Green Building Council for building LEED-certified schools following the renovation and gold LEED certification of the Roosevelt School in Hyde Park.
Communities of color and low-income neighborhoods in Boston and statewide continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of environmental and environmental health burdens. City-wide, Boston has made an extensive commitment to supporting open spaces, planting trees and reducing health and environmental hazards. Despite such an effort, the neighborhoods of Boston that are home to more that two-thirds of the city’s children and most of its’ families of color have the lowest rates of urban tree cover, open space acreage per-capita and are the most reliant on emissions-producing cars for transportation. As a result, these neighborhoods—which include Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan and East Boston—have among the highest levels of child asthma hospitalization rates, blood lead poisoning and obesity (See Indicator 7.4).
Small businesses, community organizations and individuals continue to have an impact on Boston’s sustainability and green development. Since 2007 Mayor Thomas M. Menino has given the Boston Green Awards in recognition of the environmentally sustainable practices that residents engage in every day that make a difference. Previous winners have included: West Roxbury Saves Energy, The Mug Project started by two Jamaica Plain residents as a campaign to reduce the use of single-serve disposable containers, Katsiroubas Bros., a family-owned wholesale fruit and produce distributor in Newmarket Square for their increased energy efficiency, Tarantara, a restaurant that is composting 99% of waste, Green Tourism partner hotels and a host of individual residents and families (complete list of award winners 2007-2009).
Massachusetts is investing in its coastal waterways as a quality-of -life asset as well as to bolster the marine economy and as a potential source of renewable energy. Recent clean-up efforts of the Charles River and Boston Harbor have yielded dramatic increases in the number of days of safe for boating and swimming in Boston-area beaches(See Indicator 5.5.2). Likewise, improved water quality has spurred reinvestment in local aquaculture and marine fisheries. The Atlantic Ocean, which spans 1,500 miles of Massachusetts coast, is also seen a source of renewable wind and wave energy. Governor Deval Patrick solidified the Commonwealth’s commitment to sustaining this invaluable natural resource by signing the first in the nation comprehensive Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan. While the proposed Wind Farm off the coast of Cape Cod has encountered stiff local opposition—as have other efforts to promote wind energy on a large scale in Massachusetts—the project continues to wind its way through regulatory review.
The declining fiscal and structural condition of Greater Boston’s public transit system may reverse recent progress on increasing ridership and reducing transit-related greenhouse gas emissions. A recent report found the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to be structurally and financially crippled by mounting debt and a maintenance backlog. While the region has made great progress in promoting public transit and transit-oriented development to reduce greenhouse gasses, the system may be forces to limit services outside of the central city and to increase progress on reducing transit fares, which may force commuters back to their cars and threatening the sustainability of recent progress (see Transportation).