The November elections saw governors re-elected throughout the region whose administrations are committed to addressing climate and clean energy issues. They now welcome Governor-elect Maura Healy, who as Massachusetts Attorney General took a leading role on clean energy and climate issues and has offered aggressive climate action plans for her state. Internationally, the 27th meeting of the Conference of the Parties organized under the U.N. climate conventions, COP27, just concluded last week in Egypt. Leaders at COP27 were forced to reckon with new data, which showed that 2022 had the highest levels of emissions ever in a single year. The takeaways from the conference were mixed: progress was made on establishing a mechanism to assist the most vulnerable communities around the world already suffering from the changing climate, but the conference fell short on agreeing to rapidly accelerate away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy.

The urgency brought to COP27 by activists and governments, recent legislation in the U.S. particularly the Inflation Reduction Act, aggressive climate action goals in most states in the region, and impressive technological advancements have all created a window of real opportunity for climate action. Tangible success will rely not only on global and national agreements, but in implementing clean energy projects and policies at the local, state, and regional levels. Acadia Center remains focused on states and communities because they are the very places where the change will be made in our buildings, transportation, and energy systems. In this E-News, we highlight recent actions to reduce emissions and build a clean energy economy that benefits all residents.