The Weird and Wondrous Politics of Climate Change in Massachusetts

George Bachrach, a former state senator, has spent the last seven years as the President of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, briefing candidates and incumbents on environmental policy, and the goals of his influential non-profit.  But last month, when Bachrach’s group hosted a forum for all six candidates for state governor, he found himself in an odd situation.

The five candidates who showed up were Democrats, so, Bachrach noted, it was tough to get much of an environmental policy debate out of them.  They roundly agreed on two of the group’s most important issues: that climate change is real, and that action needs to be taken to prevent and adapt to it.

Democratic candidates supporting a pro-climate agenda would not be surprising in any state.  But in Massachusetts, Bachrach says, it’s particularly necessary.  Because if you’re a climate denier in Massachusetts, you haven’t got a chance at winning elected office.

The Weird and Wondrous Politics of Climate Change in Massachusetts