Michelle Wu Calls for Urgent Climate Leadership in Boston in Wake of Devastating UN Report

Boston, MA—  City Councilor At-Large and Candidate for Mayor Michelle Wu called for urgent city leadership in Boston in the wake of the devastating UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report. Today, she was joined on City Hall Plaza by Councilor Lydia Edwards and citywide environmental advocates to reflect on the urgent window to act and the need for strong city leadership, including a Boston Green New Deal. Wu has proposed the first ever city-level Green New Deal to meet the scale and urgency of the crisis, create new green jobs, and lead the nation in climate action. Wu will also host a Facebook Livestream with leading climate advocate and thinker Bill McKibben this evening at 7 p.m.

The IPCC report warns that without urgent decarbonization, the world will continue to warm to even more dangerous levels, and that lasting sea level rise has been set in motion, posing a dangerous threat to coastal cities like Boston. The last ten years have been the hottest on record, and extreme weather including floods, droughts and wildfires are only set to become more frequent and severe as the earth warms. However, we still have a  short window of time to prevent the most catastrophic effects of global warming by rapidly reducing emissions.

“As a mom, I think everyday about what it means to be raising two young kids in our city, and how much their future in this city and on this planet depends on our action and leadership right now. Now is the moment for us to act—and Boston can lead the way,” said Michelle Wu.

"The science is clear, there is a connection between human activity accelerating climate change. Boston needs a mayor that understands this deeply  and takes the science seriously enough to push the city to embrace a Green New Deal and help the city invest more into creating clean energy jobs and reduce the city's carbon footprint. Michelle is the right person for that job to lead the city in embracing the Green New Deal,” said Rev. Vernon K. Walker, Sierra Club.

"The IPCC report confirms what Sunrise Boston and climate organizers know — we have very little time to make the systemic changes needed to ensure a safe and secure future. With the this existential threat made crystal clear ahead of this election, it is imperative that we elect Michelle Wu, the candidate whose municipal Green New Deal is a bold and comprehensive antidote to the crisis,” said Sunrise Boston organizers.

“The IPCC report shows we need action now. Michelle Wu is the only candidate with a comprehensive plan to meet the urgency of the crisis we are in,” said Clare Kelly of the Environmental League of Massachusetts.

“The time is up for inaction. The IPCC report lays bare the truth: what we have been doing is not enough. But we cannot let these climate facts keep us from making the transformative changes that are so necessary. We can see this moment in history as a critical one to move toward a mindset of “what is possible”? We have the tools, the resources, the knowledge, the people power. And Michelle has the courage, the political will, and the plans to lead our city towards a more just, more sustainable future. But we need to act, act together and act now,” said Nina Schlegel, climate advocate and  lead author of the Boston Green New Deal.