The Boston
Municipal Research Bureau, which provides impartial research
and policy analysis for the benefit of the City of Boston, recently
hosted a discussion at Goulston & Storrs featuring Brian Swett,
recently appointed by Mayor Wu as Boston's first-ever Chief
Climate Officer.
Chief Swett described the key pillars of Boston's climate
strategy, each implemented through the lens of climate
justice— using climate action as an opportunity to address
environmental justice communities by disproportionately investing
in those communities to rectify persistent past injustices.
The first pillar, decarbonization, refers to the City's
efforts to eliminate carbon emissions, particularly from buildings,
which represent 70% of carbon emissions in the city. 2025 is the
first "compliance year" for buildings regulated by the
Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO),
which will face fines if they do not meet emission targets. While
most remaining carbon
