Cities and towns throughout the country are taking leadership roles to reduce carbon emissions. Westford has joined them.
Please Complete Westford’s Climate Action Survey!
Please help shape our town’s strategy to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by taking the Westford Survey on Climate Change! The survey will help our Clean Energy and Sustainability Committee formulate Westford’s Roadmap to Net Zero.
Did you miss our Solar Webinar?
Learn about residential solar from Westford residents and solar industry representatives discussing customer-owned solar installations, Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), Community Solar, and available tax incentives and low-interest loans.
JOIN US
Our mission is to drive climate action. We promote sustainability and advocate on a local level for actions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and safeguard the health of our community for future generations.
We ask interested individuals to sign-up for our newsletter and encourage anyone who wants to make a difference to join our organization!
Why Now?
We cannot wait. A landmark climate report was released August 9, 2021 by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It was written by more than 230 leading scientists from countries around the world and is part of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report — the most significant climate report published in years by the international science community. It reports that:
- Current atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are the highest in at least 2 million years
- The past decade is likely the hottest the planet has been in 125,000 years
- It is unequivocal that the rise in global average temperatures since the 19th century has been driven by humans burning fossil fuels, clearing forests and loading the atmosphere with greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat
- Ocean levels have risen 8 inches on average over the past century, and the rate of increase has doubled since 2006
- Heat waves have become significantly hotter since 1950 and last longer in much of the world. Wildfire weather has worsened across large swaths of the globe. Bursts of extreme heat in the ocean — which can kill fish, seabirds and coral reefs — have doubled in frequency since the 1980s
The IPCC report makes clear that to avoid the worst effects of climate change and to be ready for what’s coming, action needs to start at the community level.
Why 2050?
Both Ambitious and Feasible
- Both branches of Massachusetts State Government have overwhelmingly passed major climate-related legislation this session calling for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
- Governor Baker announced the new net zero target of 2050 during his State of the Commonwealth address in January 2020
- Many local town have passed similar resolutions. Examples: Lexington, Bedford, Concord, Natick, Arlington, Belmont, Somerville. Over thirty towns in Eastern Massachusetts have committed to achieve net zero/carbon-free status by 2050. Acton Town Meeting is voting on a Climate Emergency Resolution at their Fall 2020 Town Meeting
Endorsements:
Representative James Arciero
2nd Middlesex
“We are already seeing the impacts of climate change in cities and towns across Massachusetts, which is why I was proud to commit the Commonwealth to an ambitious target of net zero emissions,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Meeting this challenge will require bold action and partnership throughout every sector of the economy, and we look forward to working with stakeholders to pursue this target in a way that is equitable and cost-effective.”
– Governor Charlie Baker