THE WORLD HAS REACHED a new critical milestone: every month from June 2023 to June 2024 was the warmest month on Earth in the last 100,000 years. Across the world and in our own territory, it is clear that we face extreme danger: our common home and our collective future are at risk.

The world is responding quickly, but we need to do more and better balance our priorities. We need to improve adaptation, support for cities and states, and the use of natural solutions.

Climate change mitigation includes efforts to decarbonize the economy, reduce fossil fuel consumption, and eliminate short-lived pollutants. While much of the focus has been on mitigation, mitigation alone is no longer enough. We need to place much greater emphasis on adaptation and climate resilience.

This includes:

– Removing 300 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the next forty years.

– Protecting critically important ecosystems, such as the Amazon and Congo basins, through natural solutions.

– Strengthening adaptation strategies, including climate education and sustainable consumption.

– Creating a new financial architecture to support the Global South and small island states.

America’s leaders are ready to put these strategies into practice at the local level. Governor Healey and the University of Massachusetts Boston will host the first regional climate summit, bringing together city officials, private sector partners, and others to develop adaptation plans to increase resilience across the region.

Already a global leader in climate policy, Massachusetts is now becoming a leader in governance innovation. Governor Healey created the nation’s first green bank for affordable housing, launched a $10 million climate careers fund backed by social finance to develop jobs in the green economy, and proposed a first-of-its-kind $1.3 billion investment in climate technology. These regional summits will take the state and the country to the next level.

The world is at a crossroads. Now is the time to confront our greatest global threat with new courage and innovative approaches. We must work together and take local action on the ground. Led by the Pope’s call to action, leaders in Massachusetts and beyond are taking action. (Co2AI)