Climate change is often referred to as the defining crisis of our time: That’s not the whole truth. It’s not only the defining crisis of our time, it is the crisis that will define every other time after this one. 

There is no more time to wait, no more time to equivocate: Of all the fundamental issues that face our world, our nation, and the towns of the First Middlesex District, none is more foundational than trying to mitigate the effects of climate change, and preparing for its impact, which affects our health, our economy, our food supply, and our environment, to name just a few.

I’ve found that there is nothing more sobering than talking to young people, including young adults, about climate change. While all hold out hope that it’s not too late for us to make a difference, they all also have the same quiet understanding that the world they are facing is going to be fraught with radical changes: They understand that it’s not just warming waters and rising seas, or more violent storms, and the associated economic costs of those; they grapple with weighty ideas like food shortages and land shortages, and the conflicts that will accompany those.

Meeting the state’s 2050 Net Zero carbon goals will require dedicated, focused efforts: It’s one of the reasons I helped create a regional municipal climate change consortium, whose mission is to foster and strengthen collaborative municipal efforts, including legislative, to combat climate change.

As your representative, I will continue to champion legislative initiatives like the Green Future Act, which will increase funding for green projects in towns; help reduce the health impacts of air, water, and land pollution; and create new green economy jobs to help us leave this planet a better place for our children.