If current trends continue, climate change within this century could be more radical than at any time in the last several hundred thousand years. In Boston, heat waves and smog alerts will become more frequent. Flooding from coastal storms will become more common and more extensive. These, in turn, will affect the health of residents and visitors, the safety of neighborhoods, the success of businesses and institutions, the viability of plants and animals in local parks, and the ability of the government to cope with short-term emergencies and longer-term stresses. Potential costs for medical care, property and infrastructure repair, and lost opportunity figure in the billions of dollars. There is uncertainty about the speed at which these things will occur, but they have started.

Cities are in a unique position to take climate action, to reduce future climate change and prepare for the changes that will come. They are small enough to see the threats concretely, nimble enough to move quickly, big enough to gather resources. City governments know their residents, businesses, and institutions individually, and can work with them as partners, hear their particular concerns, find creative solutions together. And some cities, including Boston, have been taking climate action for ten years or more: they understand the problems and have seen progress in addressing them.

Boston cannot stop climate change by itself nor eliminate all the risks. But Boston can — and must — take meaningful action.

Summary Report, Full Report, and Appendix Below in PDF Format.