(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/) Professor Robert B. Reich ignites a discussion of the good we have had in common, what happened to it, and what we might do to restore it. His goal is not that we all agree on the common good. It is that we get into the habit of thinking and talking about it, listening to each other’s views and providing a means for people with opposing views to debate these questions civilly. Recorded on 10/12/2018. Series: “The UC Public Policy Channel” [Show ID: 34200]
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had alerted the military and federal border authorities that a U.S.-bound migrant caravan from Central America was a national emergency.
Martin J. Walsh, a lifelong advocate for working people and a proud product of the City of Boston, was sworn in as the City’s 54th Mayor in January of 2014. Mayor Walsh’s vision is of a thriving, healthy, and innovative Boston – a city with equality and opportunity for all, where a revolutionary history inspires creative solutions to the world’s hardest challenges. Since taking office he has worked to create good jobs, great schools, safe streets, and affordable homes, while building a more responsive, representative, and transparent city government. In addition, he invited the people of Boston to help build a blueprint for the city’s future in Imagine Boston 2030, the first citywide plan in half a century.
Before taking office, Mayor Walsh served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1997 to 2013. Representing Boston’s diverse 13th Suffolk District, he was a leader on job creation and worker protections; substance abuse, mental health, and homelessness; K-12 education; and civil rights. He also played a key role defending Massachusetts’ pioneering stand on marriage equality.
Can humanity survive its leaders? Law-makers who think they are in charge of the ecosystem are profoundly deluded. Humanity will not survive their folly.
October 17, 2018 Updated Oct 17, 2018 9:58 AM Bruce Gellerman
Boston is getting a new plan to combat the effects of climate change. Mayor Marty Walsh on Wednesday unveiled his “Resilient Boston Harbor” proposal.
Walsh says his plan is not just a comprehensive strategy to protect the city from climate change flooding, but a transformative vision that will add 67 acres of greenspace to Boston’s 47-mile shoreline.
The idea is to build seawalls and natural barriers, and elevate roads in low-lying areas by as much as 7 feet to prevent flooding from rising sea levels. A redesign of Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester is one proposal in the plan.
“This is about prevention,” Walsh told reporters in a briefing Tuesday. “Making investments in this type of work is the key to our city.”
The Boston Harbor Cruises ticket office stands surrounded by water as high tide floods Long Wharf during the March 2018 nor’easter. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
The mayor couldn’t say how much the harbor resiliency plan will cost, but says it’ll require funds from the state, federal government, companies and philanthropies.
The idea is to spend millions to save billions.
“The investments you make now are the savings of tomorrow,” Walsh said.
One example the mayor gave was spending $160 million to make East Boston more resilient to flooding, saying it could prevent $450 million in damages in the future.
The mayor all but buried the idea of building a barrier in the harbor. That’s after a feasibility study from UMass Boston researchers advised against such a barrier.
Mayor Marty Walsh’s plan to protect the city from rising sea levels is essentially a complete re-design of the Boston waterfront. He unveiled the plan Wednesday during his annual speech at a breakfast at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
“It calls for 67 acres of new space and 122 acres of revitalized open space on the water front. It links to our emerald necklace, and reflects the same values of public health, public access and world class design. It’s a vision of a city more connected to our waterfront and to each other,” he said during the speech.
Nearly 700 people attended the breakfast, and he received a standing ovation from business leaders — one group whose support he’ll need as he works to make his vision a reality.
Welcome to Transition Studies. To prosper for very much longer on the changing Earth humankind will need to move beyond its current fossil-fueled civilization toward one that is sustained on recycled materials and renewable energy. This is not a trivial shift. It will require a major transition in all aspects of our lives.
This weblog explores the transition to a sustainable future on our finite planet. It provides links to current news, key documents from government sources and non-governmental organizations, as well as video documentaries about climate change, environmental ethics and environmental justice concerns.
The links are listed here to be used in whatever manner they may be helpful in public information campaigns, course preparation, teaching, letter-writing, lectures, class presentations, policy discussions, article writing, civic or Congressional hearings and citizen action campaigns, etc. For further information on this blog see: About this weblog. and How to use this weblog.
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