Meeting Agenda

What risks do we expect from Climate Change where we live?

1. 1. MA: Hotter temperatures create dangerous urban heat islands.  Poor minority neighborhoods are the most at risk because they have the fewest trees. 

What can we do to adapt to these risks? 

1. MA: Tree canopies can help us deal with greater heat.  Our cities have new money from the "Inflation Reduction Act" and other sources to plant trees but we need to ask them to do it where it's needed. 

What role does Environmental Justice Play?

2. MA: Springfield is an "environmental justice community" because we have a long history of highways and factories and other risks to health being placed in low income, minority neighborhoods.  Now we have laws in place, and they can prevent new risks like the Biomass plant and the Eversource pipeline, but we have to fight to have those laws enforced.