by Ellen Sachs Leicher ·
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Ask Harvard residents what they love about their town, and natural resources will be near the top of the list. Our fields, our farms, our forests, and our pond and wetlands are key reasons people want to live here. And many of us over the last 18 months have felt especially grateful to have them, as we ventured out to walk the trails, sit at the pond, or admire the wildlife.
Now consider how climate change is affecting the landscape and our weather. June and July were the two hottest months on record, invasive species are abundant, rainstorms are heavier, and the pond is warmer, which has triggered algal blooms.
Scientific consensus demands significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions if we hope to curtail climate change. Fortunately, leaders globally, nationally, and in Massachusetts have created plans for achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Although it could have been less daunting had we started sooner, the emerging consensus is we can still achieve these goals if everyone acts. By acting, we can offer our children and grandchildren a more hopeful future.
The Community Resilience Working Group (CRWG) is trying to do just that—create implementable plans for Harvard that follow the commonwealth’s lead. For more than a year, the CRWG has been recruiting volunteers, creating ways to connect with residents, and developing a town climate change resolution, in collaboration with the Energy Advisory Committee, for Harvard citizens to adopt at Fall Town Meeting.
Before addressing the proposed resolution, consider what have we learned:
Total greenhouse gas emissions for Harvard were 57,453 metric tons in 2018, primarily from transportation (56% of total emissions) and building energy use (40% of total emissions), based on a 2020 report prepared for us by Kim Lundgren Associates. Approximately 3% of building emissions are attributable to municipal operations.
Our natural resources—mostly our forests—help balance the equation by sequestering some of the carbon we produce. Forests and trees cover 68% (11,000+ acres) of the land in Harvard. An undisturbed acre of forest in New England, on average, can capture about 0.3 to 2.0 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year based on the age and type of forest, with increasing rates of capture as a forest matures. To put this in context, driving a car 11,500 miles per year at 22 miles/gallon would produce 4.8 metric tons of carbon. U.S. citizens on average produce 20 metric tons of carbon per year. Our trees also mitigate stormwater, clean the air, and provide species habitat.
A recent grant report (Apple Country) explains why buying land and planting trees is our best protection against climate change, and contains maps showing the best places—often older forests and watersheds—to target for conservation.
Our natural resources are stressed due to climate change. One has only to read the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee’s recent biological report to the Conservation Commission to understand the implications.
The town and local organizations have bought and protected land that can sequester carbon. As a commonwealth-designated Green Community, we have realized over $850,000 in state funding to improve the efficiency of town buildings. Harvard Energy Advisory Committee contracted with a power supplier for electricity that relies on wind power rather than fossil fuels for over 90% of residents. HEAC coordinated grant programs that offered education and financial incentives for residential purchases of solar panels and heat pump heating/cooling systems that reduce the use of carbon. Our new elementary school will generate solar power that is expected to save our school budget about $300,000 over the life of the system.
These are great steps, but we can do more. CRWG and HEAC propose a town resolution to cope with climate change, committing Harvard to the state’s goal of 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050. This will be voted on at Town Meeting Oct. 16. A vote in favor of the resolution means Harvard is:
- Affirming support and action for greenhouse gas reduction goals established by the commonwealth.
- Committing to evaluate and mitigate climate change by assessing town purchases, policies, projects, and plans with a climate lens and to make this information available to town citizens on future warrants requiring citizen approval.
- Coordinating the work of town boards, committees, and other entities to plan how to respond to threats of climate change.
CRWG and HEAC have been meeting with town boards, committees, and volunteer organizations to explain our resolution and garner support. Although there has been overwhelming support thus far, there are three questions we want to address.
1. Does the town resolution on climate action mean every purchase, regardless of size, will undergo an assessment?
No. Although the resolution states that “all purchases, public projects, planning processes, and policies” will be assessed, this covers medium to large expenditures and significant new undertakings. The town will not be unduly burdened by a requirement to assess every small purchase or every action of various committees. As the resolution notes, the Select Board will establish the means by which the resolution will be achieved and will set in place a reasonable framework for evaluation.
2. Is the environmental assessment process going to be like MEPA (Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act)?
No. The town does not have the resources to do this type of analysis. Several years ago, the Select Board adopted a voluntary environmental assessment form with only a few questions that addressed energy use, lifespan and disposal, and resiliency. The Capital Planning and Investment Committee (CPIC) incorporated some of this in its forms for their project review. This is where we recommend the town start, with some modifications based on current knowledge.
3. How will this assessment of the potential environmental impacts of projects, plans, policies, and purchases be shared with the public or acted upon?
For projects brought to Town Meeting, voters will determine the future of the project. For items that don’t go to Town Meeting, department heads and committees will decide. Just as the Finance Committee and Select Board weigh in at Town Meeting, so may another entity weigh in on environmental impact. The goal is to look at projects, plans, and major purchases with a climate lens.
As a town, we have the chance to adopt forward-thinking practices that will help mitigate the effects of climate change. We must recognize the inherent dangers, as well as the opportunities. The cost of indifference to our health and well-being and to our planet will be felt by ourselves, by our children, and by our grandchildren. We hope you will vote in favor of this resolution on Oct. 1.
Ellen Sachs Leicher is chair of the Community Resilience Working Group.