climate

Healthy Air for People and Climate

Report by Judith Black, Photos by Jerry Halberstadt

[Judith Black hosted the gathering, supported by 350 Mass members including Steve Andrada, Jim Mulloy, and Ellen Leaman]

Stronger together

On April 11, 2024, at a meeting organized by members of the 350 Mass-North Shore Node, advocates for climate and justice launched the Northeast of Boston Climate Roundtable at the Torigian Senior Center in Peabody.

Healthy Air for All is a voluntary community organization effort focused on health education and mitigation of harm from pollution and a springboard for advocacy and remedial action.

Everyone wants their family to enjoy good health. We all want to breathe healthy air, avoid illness, and live a long, joyful life.

But pollution poisons our air, makes us sick, and kills us.

That pollution is caused by burning coal, oil, and gas in our homes, factories, and cars.

I write to support H3150/S2117 “An Act advancing clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal utilities.” This bill is supported by 30 climate organizations in the Commonwealth.

Photo: Mother and child. Bonnie Bain and Peyton Massie look into their future during their participation in a demonstration against the Peabody peaker plant.

Guest article by Win Flint
We all want to see the truly enormous changes required of our nation and world to mitigate and slow climate change. Only government has the power to mandate and implement the needed systemic changes. Getting government to change requires legislation and for that to happen, politicians need to change. They only do this after extreme pressure from voters.

So British Petroleum (BP) and the fossil energy empires are doing everything they can to prevent people from uniting for change. Hence the “carbon footprint”.

At Devereux Beach, the dark sky and light rain gradually gave way to clearing and brightness. Reverend Kendra Ford led climate activists in the process of openly admitting their feelings of grief and seeing that mourning for loss because of the destruction unleashed by global warming is painful because of love for their families and the natural world.

The people of Peabody care for each other, honor their fallen heroes and nurture their children and their youth.

A revolution has begun.

Clean power from renewable resources is beating fossil fuels in price, reliability, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As governments support these climate-friendly sources of power with financial and other incentives, they pose a threat to suppliers of fossil fuel energy.

We are concerned about the future of our grandchildren. Their future depends on our rapid action to replace burning fossil fuels to produce energy with renewable energy sources. This goal is essential to mitigate climate disaster and must be met by everyone working together, especially by the government. Therefore we are advocates for a responsive government that serves the public—but people that we trust to do the people’s business are not acting in our interests.

Article & Statements contributed by Climate Courage