Boston Globe: The need for substitute teachers; Globe’s climate team is expanding and rethinking its coverage

"When Toni Preston began substitute teaching for Cambridge Public Schools in November of 2019, she monitored the online job listings throughout the day to snap one up before others beat her to it.

Now, whenever Preston isn’t already signed up to work, she’s sure to wake up to an early morning robocall from the district, informing her of the many unfilled openings that day.

“When I’m on a job, I have teachers who may see me in the hall or even drop in the classroom, asking me if I can cover for them,” said Preston, 76. “That tells me that they really need a sub.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/01/20/metro/its-been-desperate-call-substitute-teachers-high-demand-districts-grapple-with-teaching-shortages/

"This is how long we have ignored warnings of a coming crisis:

It’s been more than half a century since a presidential panel under Lyndon Johnson found that fossil fuel emissions could be warming the earth.

It’s been 40 years since the National Academies of Sciences published a massive landmark study with similar conclusions.

And it’s been three decades — the span of an entire generation — since a NASA scientist named James Hansen sat before Congress and testified that human-caused global warming was not only real but “already happening now.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/01/20/science/into-red-how-globe-will-cover-climate-change/

Globe’s climate team is expanding and rethinking its coverage

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node, Virtual Meeting, Thu, Jan 20, 7:00 PM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Next Meeting: 

Thursday, January 20, 7:00 PM.

Hello to all once again from the 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Please mark your calendars for this week's Node meeting, Thursday, January 20, 7:00-9:00 PM. (We have a lot to discuss, but feel free to leave early if necessary.)  

Here are the Zoom details.

Join on Zoom

https://zoom.us/j/544734092?pwd=N3hwYzZBazRYZG9ycHRsbmliVkMxZz09

Meeting ID: 544 734 092  

Password: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

We welcome you to join us, whether or not you've attended previous meetings. We will review the status of climate bills at the State House and the actions we need to be taking. Here is the summary (with links) as sent out in the recent "Climate Weekly" email from Sam Payne at 350 Mass.

In order for climate bills to succeed in 2022, they must be reported favorably out of committee by February 3. With a record number of environmentally focused bills in this legislative session, we need to be clear and adamant about our priorities. Among the bills we are prioritizing in our legislative agenda are the Building justice with jobs bill, the Future of heat bill, and our first independently written bill, An Act relative to retiring high emissions vehicles. To learn how to lobby in favor of these bills, join our Lobbying Training webinar January 23, led by 350 Mass' very own Cabell Eames. 

Many of the bills we are prioritizing are centered around housing. Why? Roughly 40% of emissions in Massachusetts come from buildings, and housing closely ties environmental action with the related struggles of equity and justice. 350 Mass' current statewide campaign is Bringing the Green New Deal Home. Our Housing Working Group is running two actions next week (Monday 1/17 at 7 pm and Tuesday 1/18 TODAY! at 4 pm) to train you to lobby for our priority bills in anticipation of Mass Power Forward Lobby Week January 24-28.

We need to take action and keep up the pressure on elected officials in Washington and Boston, and on banks and insurers who enable fossil fuel infrastructure. We'll also continue our discussion about local activities and opportunities to engage town officials and residents.

If you'd like to chat or meet with one of us, please reply to this email and we will find a time to explore with you how you can get involved in our multi-faceted organization. Our Greater Franklin Node wants to collaborate with groups and individuals from the region who share the same concerns, so all our cities and towns can benefit. Please join us to learn and contribute. 

Visit the 350 Mass website to learn about opportunities to add your voice for a just transition for a climate-safe world.  Sign up for updates. 

We'll send a meeting reminder on Thursday. Thanks for your participation and support.

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node, Virtual Meeting, Thu, Jan 20, 7:00 PM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node, Virtual Meeting, Thursday, January 6, 7:00 PM

Best wishes to all as we welcome the new year. At 350 Mass, we stand prepared to take on the challenges confronting us, and we invite you to participate at your own determined level of engagement. Every contribution will help the cause.

Our first Greater Franklin Node meeting of 2022 will be this Thursday, January 6, 7:00-9:00 pm. (We have a lot to discuss, but feel free to leave early if necessary.)  

Best wishes to all as we welcome the new year. At 350 Mass, we stand prepared to take on the challenges confronting us, and we invite you to participate at your own determined level of engagement. Every contribution will help the cause.

Our first Greater Franklin Node meeting of 2022 will be this Thursday, January 6, 7:00-9:00 pm. (As always, attendees should feel free to leave the meeting early if necessary.)   

Here are the Zoom details.

Zoom link for the meeting, January 6, 7:00-9:00 pm.

Join on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88924607755?pwd=bHl1empTRVFxYzdZUmVBSGl1Q0p3Zz09
Meeting ID: 889 2460 7755

Password: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

During the meeting, we will address climate bills being considered by the state legislature, actions to promote national changes, and local developments. Please read the rest of this email for information and actions, whether or not you can attend the meeting. Thank you. 

Energy efficiency and retrofitting homes and buildings. All of 350 Mass' nodes are working hard to promote and achieve the organization's priorities, as defined in our Campaign "Bringing the Green New Deal Home" and its three components focused on Buildings, Transportation, and Energy. At this meeting we will focus on the first component, "Building the Green New Deal," that is, requiring that new buildings be efficient and non-emitting, and retrofitting existing buildings, including insulation, energy-efficient appliances, and replacing fossil-fuel heating systems with non-polluting (electric) ones. These changes will occur via legislation, individual consumer choices, and policies and programs adopted by cities and towns. This will be an all-hands-on-deck effort. We ask you to join the Zoom meeting to learn about the campaign, share information about groups and activities in your community, and help us plan and implement this campaign. Also, we ask your help in publicizing this important meeting and inviting others. Thank you.

Next Generation Roadmap Climate Law.  In January, 2021 the Massachusetts Legislature passed the Next Generation Roadmap Climate Law requiring the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions. One key to success is to write new building codes and retrofit at least one million homes by 2030, as described in our Campaign (above). Priority would be given to low-income households and environmental justice neighborhoods. Regrettably, progress has been slow. It is clear that Mass Save, the agency currently responsible for these types of home improvement programs, needs to expand its scope beyond insulation and energy-efficient supplies to provide a roadmap that homeowners can use to electrify our homes with renewable energy at a cost we can afford. Add your voice to demand action. Sign the "Times Up For Fossil Fuels!" Card. Help pressure the utilities that run Mass Save to obey the law, and support the call for additional laws and programs to meet the state's climate goals.   

 

Massachusetts legislative action. The House and Senate committees are actively reviewing the many bills proposed for the current 2021-22 session. This is a critical time to support 350 Mass' top three priority bills (click for descriptions). We are asking everyone to contact your legislators via phone or email or, preferably, with a meeting in January, to encourage them to cosponsor these bills. For constituents of Rep. Jeff Roy (Democrat, Franklin, and Chairperson, Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy), the Node is working on setting up a meeting with him; if you'd like to participate, let us know by replying to this email. If you'd like to learn about all the bills that we support, you can find information sheets here.   

We hope you can join us Thursday at 7:00. We'll send a reminder Thursday afternoon. 

 

Thank you for your commitment to the struggle for a transition to a just, equitable, and clean energy economy.

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c) 

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node, Virtual Meeting and Party, December 16th

Hey, everyone,

Please open our Node Holiday Party/Node meeting invite!

Zoom link for the meeting, December 16, 7:00 pm.

Join on Zoom
https://zoom.us/j/544734092?pwd=N3hwYzZBazRYZG9ycHRsbmliVkMxZz09 

Meeting ID: 544 734 092

Password: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

During the "business" part, before we can party and enjoy one another's company, we'll review the legislative agenda and status of Committee hearings currently taking place at the State House (see below, "Massachusetts Action"). We'll also discuss local and national developments and opportunities for individual and organizational action. 

For related updates, see this week's Climate Weekly email, sent from 350 Mass today, December 14. If you are not receiving Climate Weekly, you can request it here. 

Please take a moment to read the rest of this email for important information.

Actions you can take BEFORE THURSDAY'S MEETING:

Massachusetts Action: The House and Senate committees are actively reviewing the many bills proposed for the current 2021-22 session. This is a critical time to support 350 Mass' top three priority bills. We are asking everyone to contact your legislators via phone or email or, preferably, with a meeting between now and early January, to encourage them to cosponsor these bills. For constituents of Rep. Jeff Roy (Democrat, Franklin, and Chairperson, Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy), the Node is working on setting up a meeting with him; if you'd like to participate, let us know by replying to this email. If you'd like to learn about all the bills that we support, you can find information sheets here.   

National Action: President Biden went ahead with the largest offshore drilling lease sale in US history, auctioning off millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico to Big Oil, even though they were not legally required to do so. Read about it here. But there's still time to act. Call 866-834-8040 as soon as possible and demand that the Department of the Interior stop the sale!  Learn about the organized opposition here. 

Hold-The-Date for our next Node meeting, January 6, 2022.

All of 350 Mass' nodes are working hard to promote and achieve the organization's priorities, as defined in our Campaign "Bringing the Green New Deal Home" and its three components focused on Buildings, Transportation, and Energy. At our first meeting of the new year, Thursday, January 6th, 7:00 pm, we will focus on the first component, "Building the Green New Deal," that is, requiring that new buildings be efficient and non-emitting, and retrofitting existing buildings, including insulation, energy-efficient appliances, and replacing fossil-fuel heating systems with non-polluting (electric) ones. These changes will occur via legislation, individual consumer choices, and policies and programs adopted by cities and towns. This will be an all-hands-on-deck effort. We ask all of you to join the January 6th virtual meeting to learn about the campaign, share information about groups and activities in your community, and help us plan and implement this campaign. We will send out more information prior to January 6th, and we ask your help in publicizing this important meeting. Thank you.

As for this week, we hope you can join us Thursday at 7:00. We'll send a reminder Thursday afternoon.

We wish everyone a healthy and happy new year. Thank you for your commitment to the struggle for a transition to a just, equitable, and clean energy economy.

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node, Virtual Meeting and Party, December 16th

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Thursday, December 2, 7:00 PM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Next Meeting: Thursday, December 2, 7:00 PM.

Hello to all once again from the 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Please mark your calendars for this week's Node meeting, Thursday, December 2, 7:00 PM. 

Zoom link for the meeting, December 2, 7:00 PM.

Join on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88924607755?pwd=bHl1empTRVFxYzdZUmVBSGl1Q0p3Zz09
Meeting ID: 889 2460 7755

Password: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

We welcome you to join us, whether or not you've attended previous meetings. We need to take action and keep up the pressure on elected officials in Washington and Boston, and on banks and insurers who enable fossil fuel infrastructure. We'll discuss opportunities to learn about the climate crisis, and strategies for change and ways to make our voices heard, collectively and individually.  

We are also pleased to share with you a message from climate champion Bill McKibben. Bill sent this endorsement of 350 Mass to encourage year-end donations, which are always welcome. But we hope you'll read it and consider many ways you can be involved in our climate fight, including participation in our organization and node. By the way, the photo in Bill's message shows members of our Greater Franklin Node in action.  

If you'd like to chat or meet with one of us, please reply to this email and we will find a time to explore with you how you can get involved in our multi-faceted organization. Our Greater Franklin Node wants to collaborate with groups and individuals from the region who share the same concerns, so all our cities and towns can benefit. Please join us to learn and contribute. 

Visit the 350 Mass website to learn about opportunities to add your voice for a just transition for a climate-safe world.  Sign up for updates. 

We'll send a meeting reminder on Thursday. Thanks for your participation and support.

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

 

 

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Thursday, December 2, 7:00 PM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Thursday, Nov 18, 7:00 PM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. 

Next Meeting: Thursday, November 18, 7:00 PM

Hello to all once again from the 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Please mark your calendars for this week's Node meeting 

Here are the the Zoom details

https://zoom.us/j/544734092?pwd=N3hwYzZBazRYZG9ycHRsbmliVkMxZz09

Meeting ID: 544 734 092

Password: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

We welcome you to join us, whether or not you've attended previous meetings. We need to take action and keep up the pressure on elected officials in Washington and Boston, and on banks and insurers who enable fossil fuel infrastructure. We'll discuss opportunities to learn about the climate crisis reading and watching webinars, and strategies for change and ways to make our voices heard, collectively and individually.  

If you'd like to chat or meet with one of us, please reply to this email and we will find a time to explore with you how you can get involved in our multi-faceted organization. Our Greater Franklin Node wants to collaborate with groups and individuals from the region who share the same concerns, so all our cities and towns can benefit. Please join us to learn and contribute. 

Also, you should have received an email yesterday (Monday), with Subject Line: Your Input Needed: A Brief Survey from the Greater Franklin Node of 350 Mass. The survey takes only a few minutes, and your responses will help us plan for the future.

Visit the 350 Mass website to learn about opportunities to add your voice for a just transition for a climate-safe world.  Sign up for updates. 

We'll send a meeting reminder on Thursday. Thanks for your participation and support.

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

The Guardian: "Climate experts warn world leaders 1.5C is ‘real science’, not just talking point"

"The 1.5C temperature limit to be discussed by world leaders at critical meetings this weekend is a vital physical threshold for the planet’s climate, and not an arbitrary political construct that can be haggled over, leading climate scientists have warned.

World leaders are meeting in Rome and Glasgow over the next four days to thrash out a common approach aimed at holding global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the lower of two limits set out in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

But some countries are unwilling to peg their emissions plans to the tougher goal, as it would require more urgent efforts. They prefer to consider long-term goals such as net zero by 2050.

Johan Rockström, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and one of the world’s foremost climate scientists, warned that the 1.5C target was not like other political negotiations, which can be haggled over or compromised on."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/30/climate-experts-warn-world-leaders-15c-is-real-science-not-just-talking-point

The Greenland ice sheet, the melting of which would raise sea level rises, could be tipped into a state of irreversible decline beyond 1.5C. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Climate Action in Boston, Friday, October 29

Greetings from the Greater Franklin Node of 350 Mass.  We are notifying climate activists and concerned citizens about an action in Boston, this Friday afternoon, October 29th. We encourage you to attend if possible.

 

Across the country, leading climate justice groups are teaming up to target financial institutions that are funding the fossil fuel industry. A key organizer is the Youth Climate Finance Alliance.  Young people are rising up across the world to demand an immediate end to the funding of fossil fuel expansion. As they say on their website, "We're calling out greenwashed climate commitments, uplifting frontline fights, and demanding an end to the harm. If we can stop the flow of money, we can stop the flow of oil."

 

The day of action for a Fossil Free Future includes a protest in Boston targeting Chase Bank. Here are the details: 

• Start time: 3:45 pm, near Liberty Mutual, 157 Berkeley St Boston.
• Rally with youth and indigenous speakers.
• March to Chase - Downtown Crossing (arriving 4:30-4:45).
• Bank action led by youth.
• Action complete by 5:30.

Register  here for the Boston event.

 

Thank you for participating, considering it, and spreading the word.

 

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

Climate Action in Boston, Friday, October 29

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting - Oct 21, 7:00 PM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Next Meeting: Thursday, October 21, 7:00 PM

 

Hello to all from the 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Please mark your calendars for this week's Node meeting, Thursday, October 21, 7:00 PM.  (As a reminder, we meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. We continue to meet on Zoom.)

Zoom link for the meeting, October 21, 7:00 PM.

Join on Zoom
https://zoom.us/j/544734092?pwd=N3hwYzZBazRYZG9ycHRsbmliVkMxZz09

Meeting ID: 544 734 092

Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

 

Our agenda will cover developments and actions in Massachusetts, nationwide, and globally, including legislation and the ongoing efforts to transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.  We welcome you to join us, whether or not you've attended previous meetings. We need to take action and keep up the pressure on elected officials in Washington and Boston, and on banks and insurers who enable fossil fuel infrastructure. We'll discuss opportunities to learn about the climate crisis and strategies by reading and watching webinars, and to make our voices heard, collectively and individually.  

 

If you'd like to chat or meet with one of us, please reply to this email and we will find a time to explore with you how you can get involved in our multi-faceted organization. Our Greater Franklin Node wants to collaborate with groups and individuals from the region who share the same concerns, so all our cities and towns can benefit. Please join us to learn and contribute. 

Visit the 350 Mass website to learn about opportunities to add your voice for a just transition for a climate-safe world. SIgn up for updates. 

 

Here is today's message from our organization: Thousands have mobilized in DC and across the country to demand we recognize climate as the emergency it is. Please join us in urging @POTUS to declare a #ClimateEmergency & #BuildBackFossilFree . We can't afford to compromise on our future. Call the White House today 888-724-8946.

 

We'll send a meeting reminder on Thursday. Thanks for your participation and support.

 

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

 

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

 

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting - Oct 21, 7:00 PM

Climate crisis: If a picture tells the story, will this be enough to get action?

"In its lifetime, Boston Common has seen grazing cattle, public hangings, and protests against slavery and wars. It has seen visits from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II and the everyday gatherings of families and friends. And someday — depending on the choices made in the next few years — it could see the rising waters of the Charles River, as sea levels rise from climate change and swallow the historic landmark.

As world leaders prepare to gather in Glasgow for the next major round of international climate talks, they will be discussing the difference of degrees, attempting to bring the path the world is currently on — which would result in 3 degrees Celsius of warming above preindustrial temperatures by the end of the century — in line with the goal of the Paris Agreement, which is half that, or 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming.

The difference between those two numbers may seem insignificant, but as research released Tuesday shows, it has a very real consequence — such as whether the Common will be underwater or not."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/12/science/with-rising-seas-these-boston-landmarks-could-be-underwater/

The Guardian also has an article revealing different photos of the possible impact to Boston  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/12/sea-level-rise-well-known-american-sites-visualized

Direct link to the text PDF report -> https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2e6b/pdf

Direct link to the photo and maps visualizations ->    https://picturing.climatecentral.org/

Boston municipal court, +3C (Composite: Climate Central)

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Oct 7 - 7:00 PM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Next Meeting: Thursday, October 7, 7:00 PM.

 

Hello to all from the 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Please mark your calendars for this week's Node meeting, Thursday, October 7, 7:00 PM.  (As a reminder, we meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. We continue to meet on Zoom.)

Here are the the Zoom details.

Zoom link for the meeting, October 7, 7:00 PM.

Join on Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88924607755?pwd=bHl1empTRVFxYzdZUmVBSGl1Q0p3Zz09

Meeting ID: 889 2460 7755
Passcode: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

 

Our agenda will cover developments and actions in Massachusetts, nationwide, and globally, including legislation and the ongoing efforts to transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.  

 

We welcome you to join us, whether or not you've attended previous meetings. We need to take action and keep up the pressure on elected officials in Washington and Boston, and on banks and insurers who enable fossil fuel infrastructure. We'll discuss opportunities to learn about the climate crisis and strategies by reading and watching webinars, and to make our voices heard, collectively and individually.  

 

If you'd like to chat or meet with one of us, please reply to this email and we will find a time to explore with you how you can get involved in our multi-faceted organization.

 

Our Greater Franklin Node wants to collaborate with groups and individuals from the region who share the same concerns, so all our cities and towns can benefit. Please join us to learn and contribute. 

If you cannot participate in the Node meeting on Thursday but have some information to share, e.g., notice about a community meeting or a recommended webinar, you can send it to ralph.halpern@comcast.net.

 

We'll send a reminder on Thursday. Thanks for your participation and support.

 

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

 

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

"The region is one of many across the globe being struck by severe drought."

"Sergio Koci’s sunflower farm in the lowlands of northern Argentina has survived decades of political upheaval, runaway inflation and the coronavirus outbreak. But as a series of historic droughts deadens vast expanses of South America, he fears a worsening water crisis could do what other calamities couldn’t: Bust his third-generation agribusiness.

“When you have one bad year, you can face it,” Koci said. Some of his 20,000 acres rest near the mighty Paraná River, where water levels have reached lows not seen since 1944. On the back of two years of drought-related crop losses, he said, the continuing dryness is now set to reduce his sunflower yields this year by 65 percent.

“When you have three bad years, you don’t know if there will even be another year,” he said.

From the frigid peaks of Patagonia to the tropical wetlands of Brazil, worsening droughts this year are slamming farmers, shutting down ski slopes, upending transit and spiking prices for everything from coffee to electricity."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/24/argentina-brazil-south-america-drought/

Meanwhile, on the home front:

"Breaking news in the weather department this morning... We have now moved into first place for the wettest July through September. #EnoughIsEnough"

https://twitter.com/growingwisdom/status/1442073286591062017

We have now moved into first place for the wettest July through September

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Sep 16, 7:00 PM

Hello to all from the 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Please mark your calendars for this week's  Node meeting, Thursday, September 16, 7:00 PM.  (As a reminder, we meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.)

Here are the the Zoom details.

Join on Zoom

https://zoom.us/j/544734092?pwd=N3hwYzZBazRYZG9ycHRsbmliVkMxZz09

Meeting ID: 544 734 092

Password: 350ma

Dial-in +1 646 876 9923

Our agenda will cover developments and actions in Massachusetts and nationwide, including legislation and the ongoing efforts to transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.   

Our Greater Franklin Node wants to collaborate with groups and individuals from the region who share the same concerns, so all our cities and towns can benefit. Please join us to learn and contribute. 

If you cannot participate in the Node meeting on Thursday but have some information to share, e.g., notice about a community meeting or a recommended webinar, you can send it to ralph.halpern@comcast.net.

We'll send a reminder on Thursday.  Thanks for your participation and support.

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Sep 16, 7:00 PM

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Thursday, September 2, 7:00 PM

Hello to all from the 350 Mass Greater Franklin Node. Please mark your calendars for this week's  Node meeting, Thursday, September 2, 7:00 PM.  (As a reminder, we meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.)

 

Here are the the Zoom details.

Zoom link for the meeting, September 2, 7:00 PM.

Join on Zoom.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88924607755?pwd=bHl1empTRVFxYzdZUmVBSGl1Q0p3Zz09

Meeting ID: 889 2460 7755

Password: 350ma 

Audio by phone: +1 646 876 9923  

 

Our agenda will cover developments and actions in Massachusetts and nationwide, including legislation and the ongoing efforts to transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.   

 

We will also devote part of the meeting to the issue of carbon pricing. Come learn about carbon pricing as a means to move Massachusetts to a more sustainable economy! Kevin O'Reilly, a 350 Mass North Shore member and Citizens Climate Lobby member, will give a presentation on carbon pricing, followed by a question and answer period. 350 Mass supported carbon pricing as an important legislative priority for years; however, during this current legislative session, while still supportive of the policy, 350 Mass is focusing on other bills. But perhaps the time is right for this legislation! In any case, we need to be aware of all the tools in the toolbox to deal with climate change. 

If you'd like to understand more before he presents or can't make the meeting, you can read about carbon pricing here, and check out this report:  

https://climate-xchange.org/2021/05/24/new-climate-xchange-report-investing-in-a-better-massachusetts/

Our usual meeting is 7:00-9:00. Kevin will present beginning at 7:30.

 

Our Greater Franklin Node wants to collaborate with groups and individuals from the region who share the same concerns, so all our cities and towns can benefit. Please join us to learn and contribute. 

 

If you cannot participate in the Node meeting on Thursday but have some information to share, e.g., notice about a community meeting or a recommended webinar, you can send it to ralph.halpern@comcast.net.

 

We'll send a reminder on Thursday. 

Thanks for your participation and support.

 

Node Co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

Ralph Halpern

 

Ralph Halpern

ralph.halpern@comcast.net

781-784-3839 (h)

339-203-5017 (c)

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Thursday, September 2, 7:00 PM

"Climate change is fundamentally an issue of health equity and racial justice"

"AS THE WILDFIRES raged out west on July 26, we woke up to a hazy sky that was uncharacteristic of the Boston area.  The usual clear and clean skies of living next to the ocean disappeared and our air quality hit a dangerous and “unhealthy” level.  As healthcare workers looking at this thick smog, we knew to expect additional emergency department and office visits for respiratory complaints.  People with asthma, including children, would have a harder time breathing because of the increased soot and particles in the air. This polluted air may also increase the transmission of COVID-19.

The fact that our air could be polluted from wildfires on the other side of the country is a stark reminder of our interconnectedness. It demonstrates that no one is safe from the ravages of climate change.  Thousands of people in the Pacific Northwest visited emergency departments because of the extreme heatwave that swept through their communities this summer. Here in Boston, we experienced the hottest June on record, followed by the wettest July on record, and in August a tropical storm. As this is being published, we are in the midst of the fourth heat wave of 2021. For us, this translates into an unacceptable increase in the number of patients being treated in hospitals for heat exhaustion and asthma exacerbations."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/climate-change-is-fundamentally-a-health-issue/

 

Natalia Linos, a co-author of this article, is executive director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University and a regular contributor to the wfpr.fm radio show "Toward a More Perfect Union"

We Are Convened - In Order to Form a More Perfect Union

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/07/we-are-convened-in-order-to-form-more.html

More Perfect Union can be found on Google Podcast (among others)

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9tb3JlLXBlcmZlY3QtdW5pb24uY2FwdGl2YXRlLmZtL3Jzc2ZlZWQ

We Are Convened - In Order to Form a More Perfect Union

"Rain falls on peak of Greenland ice cap for first time on record"

"Rain has fallen on the summit of Greenland’s huge ice cap for the first time on record. Temperatures are normally well below freezing on the 3,216-metre (10,551ft) peak, and the precipitation is a stark sign of the climate crisis.

Scientists at the US National Science Foundation’s summit station saw rain falling throughout 14 August but had no gauges to measure the fall because the precipitation was so unexpected. Across Greenland, an estimated 7bn tonnes of water was released from the clouds.

The rain fell during an exceptionally hot three days in Greenland when temperatures were 18C higher than average in places. As a result, melting was seen in most of Greenland, across an area about four times the size of the UK."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/20/rain-falls-peak-greenland-ice-cap-first-time-on-record-climate-crisis 

Icebergs near Ilulissat, Greenland. The climate crisis is having a profound impact on glaciers. Photograph: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock