Cape Cod Climate Action Podcast

Keeping a special place special, the mission of the Cape Cod Commission, includes ensuring that Cape Cod is protected against the impacts of climate change. On this episode, we will explore climate policy on the local and state level. Join us for a robust discussion about shaping climate policy on Beacon Hill and in Barnstable County with Cape and Islands State Senator Julian Cyr, Cape Cod Commission Executive Director Kristy Senatori, and Plymouth, Dukes, and Barnstable State Representative Dylan Fernandes.

Certain gases that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are known as greenhouse gases and are widely acknowledged to contribute to climate change. GHGs occur naturally, and they are also emitted from human activities like using fossil fuels, through certain land management practices, or from the manufacturing of products we use. To prevent climate change from worsening, it is critical to understand greenhouse gas contributions at various scales. The Cape Cod Commission’s 2018 Regional Policy Plan includes a planning action to develop an estimated baseline of greenhouse gas emissions for the region using available models and data. This baseline can provide communities with the information to understand the contributing factors to Cape Cod’s greenhouse gas emissions. That inventory is now complete, and in this episode, we focus on its creation and uses with  Cape Cod Commission Transportation Program Manager Steven Tupper, Cape Cod Commission Special Projects Coordinator Michele White, and Katherine Eshel, Carbon Neutrality program manager for the City of Boston.

The Cape Cod Commission is in the process of creating Cape Cod’s first-ever climate action plan, a strategic framework that details the policies, measures, and activities our community will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and track progress. Research and review of existing climate action plans is an important step in the process. Cape Cod Commission staff reviewed a number of state, regional, and local climate action plans, and in this episode, we discuss that research, the important elements of a climate action plan, and the process moving forward. This episode features  Cape Cod Commission Deputy Director Erin Perry, Commission Natural Resources Program Manager Heather McElroy, and stormwater and resiliency director for the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, Shaun O'Rourke. Shaun also serves as the chief resilience officer to Governor of Rhode Island Gina Raimondo, and assisted in creating the climate action plan for the state of Rhode Island

The transportation system is a critical component of our infrastructure here in Massachusetts. We rely on all modes of transit for economic development, access to goods and services, as well as social interaction and enrichment. While the system has numerous benefits, it also contributes to over one-third of the Bay State’s greenhouse gas emissions, a key cause of climate change. Climate change mitigation and adaptation involves adjusting the way the transportation community plans, designs, constructs, operates, and maintains transportation infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to protect against the impacts caused by changes in climate and extreme weather events. While actions taken to mitigate climate change may not be able to fully stop climate change, they can help the effort to slow the rate of change and provide more time for the region to adapt to a changing climate and its impacts. We will explore many facets of the Cape’s transportation system in this podcast series, today we are focused on regional transit, and the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, which has made a number of changes and upgrades to its systems and amenities over the years to help offset its carbon footprint. This episode features Cape Cod Commission Transportation Program Manager Steven Tupper and Tom Cahir, administrator of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority.

Aside from its natural beauty, Cape Cod’s historic character is one of its most defining qualities. But many of our historic structures are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.  In this episode, we discuss the important topic of balancing preservation with protection and learn about a new guide to historic structures and floodplain regulations in Massachusetts with Cape Cod Commission Historic Preservation Specialist Sarah Korjeff and Shannon Hulst, who serves as deputy director and floodplain specialist for the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and also works with the Woods Hole Sea Grant. 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts offers a program that provides support to cities and towns in the state to begin the process of planning for climate change resiliency and implementing priority projects.  It is called the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness or MVP Program. Cities and towns that achieve designation as an MVP community are eligible for funding for implementation of actions to improve their climate resiliency. The Cape Cod Commission is a certified MVP provider, and along with the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and Woods Hole Sea Grant has helped a number of Cape Cod towns achieve designation as an MVP community, including the Town of Harwich. In this episode, we talk with Cape Cod Commission Chief Planner Chloe Schaefer and Town of Harwich Planner Charleen Greenhalgh to discuss this important program and learn how it’s helping Cape Cod towns prepare for the impacts of climate change.