CONSULTING PLANNERS OF MASSACHUSETTS
Expertise for Communities
"Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, costing people, communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow." - United Nations Sustainable Development Platform. People all over the world are experiencing the negative effects of changing weather patterns, rising sea level and more extreme weather events. Given the enormity of the situation and the fact that our President-Elect believes that climate change is a hoax, what can planners do at the local and state levels to mitigate its effects? How can we design practical regulatory and other tools to slow the effects of climate change on our communities and our country? There are many examples of communities in need right now. Sea level rise and flooding are affecting every aspect of life for some people on the front lines of climate change. Look at Alaska, South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana not to mention residents of New York and New Jersey who are still recovering from the inundation caused by Super Storm Sandy. In other parts of the country drought conditions are leading to more forest fires with high costs to local communities in terms of loss of property, life stock, loss of income, etc. Gatlinburg, Tennessee is but one example of what can happen when dry conditions persist for months. But everywhere you look there are planners working with local volunteer groups to create strategies to make communities and regions more resilient to the ravages of climate change. Our two speakers Mike Lydon and Mitchell Silver are going to discuss in broad terms some of the things they are working on to help turn things around or at least slow the effects of climate change on communities.
