“We’re at ground zero here,” said Barros, who was part of a steering committee that spent the past year working on a plan to prepare for storms like that one, as well as the effects of climate change and rising sea levels.
“When we think about what 2-to-5 feet means, which is some of the conservative estimates of sea rise, 2 feet, this place would probably be underwater every day,” he said.
25 Percent Emissions Cut By 2025
In the report being formally issued Thursday are dozens of recommendations with overarching themes behind them. The city aims to reduce the number of cars on the road, and so the report calls for installing new bike lanes and building more affordable and environmentally friendly housing.
This is all to meet an existing goal of reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions to 25 percent less than their 2005 rates by the year 2025.
“It’s not just enough for large property owners to say, ”OK, we have a recycling program, we’ll dim the lights when we’re not in the office,’ ” said Vivien Li, president of the Boston Harbor Association, and co-chair of the steering committee that produced the report. “It means that all of us live a lifestyle that’s going to make a difference over time.”
That could mean biking to work for some. For others, re-insulating their homes to use less heat in the winter. One recommendation even calls for planting trees, so that 35 percent of Boston will have tree cover.
Many city objectives center on construction — specifically, building with climate change and possible sea level rise in mind.
Read more at Boston Releases Plan for Action on Climate Change
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