For delegates like me, there was a good deal of work to get down to. Big breakthroughs on the nation-to-nation level weren’t going to be easy, so government officials at other levels had to meet and move forward on their own. At a panel discussion I attended in Glasgow, a veteran of earlier meetings exulted, “This is the first COP where business, cities, states and regions have all come together.”
Much of the coming together focused on reducing emissions in transportation and buildings, both Massachusetts priorities. On the day at the COP devoted to “Transport,” 40 subnational governments — cities, states and regions — joined 37 mostly small countries, 11 automakers, 27 large fleet owners, and 32 other organizations to commit to selling only electric and green hydrogen cars by 2035 in leading markets like the U.S. California, New York, and Washington state were among the 40 subnational signatories, but Massachusetts wasn’t, despite statements by the Baker administration along similar lines and despite its having representatives at the COP. Disappointing. We should pass a law to have Massachusetts join up.
Something to add to my to-do list.
Read The Barrett Report…