Climate change is causing winters in Cambridge to get warmer – which means more snow, flooding, and a lot more trouble for people living there, according to two local sustainability experts who spoke at the Cambridge Public Library on Tuesday.
The event – called “Winter Weirding” because it focused on unusual seasonal weather – featured Kendra White, who manages climate resilience at Cambridge’s Office of Sustainability, and Natalie Reeder, the senior program manager at All In Energy for Cambridge. They talked about what climate change might look like for folks in Cambridge and shared some helpful resources.
“No matter what your situation is, whether you’re a renter or an owner, no matter how much income you have, there are actions you can take to address this on a really local level as something that’s a global phenomenon,” Reeder said.
The Cambridge Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, a detailed report published in 2015 and 2017, looked at the risks Cambridge faces from rising temperatures, more rain or snow, and higher sea levels.
“What it found was that we are having warmer winters,” said White. “And overall, our climate is warming across all seasons.”
This warming causes more snow that melts faster during winter, increases storms and flooding from surges, plus big swings in weather. This can really strain things like drains that can’t handle all the water coming in; basements might flood; pipes could freeze up too.
White and Reeder shared several city resources available to residents. For example, the Flood Viewer tool from the Department of Public Works shows flood risk for every home in town. The city also runs the Cambridge Energy Helpline which offers help like an Energy Bill Check-Up to show people ways they might save money on energy costs.
White emphasized another important approach: building “social resilience” by getting to know neighbors and being able to count on each other. Sustainable Cambridge runs a program that gives up to $300 to help residents throw block parties so neighbors can connect with one another.
“Having your neighbors be someone that you can reach out to yourself and also that you can be looking out for them, is actually life saving and one of the most important things for us to remember,” White said. “You may not have all of these things in your emergency kit or your batteries or flashlights, but your neighbor might. Or they might not have some kind of medical condition, but they don’t have any family nearby, and their cell phone dies, and they don’t have anyone to check in on them.”
“Data shows that communities that are more connected socially actually recover from disasters more effectively than communities that aren’t,” she added later in the talk.
White mentioned that coming up with ways locally to respond helps people feel more control when facing this huge global problem.
“It’s important for us to really understand how we can prepare ourselves locally and feel empowered as well, and not just completely out of control in this changing climate,” White said.
