Andover Sustainability Resolution Passed at Town Meeting May 2, 2023

Whereas:

• The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast that unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or even 2°C will be beyond reach. Stabilizing the climate will require strong, rapid, unprecedented transitions in all aspects of society to achieve crucial emissions reductions. (https://www.ipcc.ch/2021/08/09/ar6-wg1-20210809-pr/)

• The fastest warming region in the contiguous US is the Northeast (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0168697)

• In April of 2021, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts committed to a new statewide emissions limit of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2021/Chapter8) followed in June 2022 by the Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2025 and 2030 (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-clean-energy-and-climate-plan-for-2025-and-2030). In August 2022 Massachusetts enacted An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind to put in place provisions to reach the climate plan goals.

• There is now state-wide momentum developing for deploying the technical, economic, and political means to achieve this goal.

• The climate crisis is an existential challenge. It is also an opportunity to reimagine Andover's future and to make that future both safe and equitable for all who live and work in our community.

Therefore:

In order for Andover to respond to the climate crisis and to align with the Commonwealth’s goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, be it resolved that Andover Town Meeting 2023 recognizes meeting this challenge is imperative and presents an unprecedented opportunity to remedy environmental harms, create clean-energy jobs, and improve human lives.

Furthermore, Andover Town Meeting 2023 requests that the Andover Select Board, School Committee, Staff, Boards and Committees:

• Advocate for action, programs, and support from the State and Federal governments to help reduce net town-wide carbon emissions in accord with the Commonwealth’s Climate Action Plan;

• Promote actions that residents, organizations, and businesses can take to reduce their individual carbon emissions;

• Prioritize the reduction of fossil fuels (including electricity created through fossil fuels) in existing and new town facilities, vehicles and operations;

• Accelerate adoption of nature-based solutions (such as protecting/restoring open spaces and forests, planting trees and native plants, and encouraging organic property management) to absorb carbon, reduce flooding, cool neighborhoods/downtown spaces, and contribute to biodiversity restoration efforts;

• Equitably align the costs of such mobilization efforts so that they do not unfairly burden those who are economically or socially disadvantaged, and that the benefits of a realized, sustainable future accrue to all; and

• Develop and implement a Climate Action Plan that outlines specific strategies and sets measurable, attainable and realistic interim targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Andover, and provide an annual progress report to Andover Town Meeting.

In conclusion:

Andover Town Meeting 2023 deems that funding and implementation of a climate action plan needs to be a top priority. Andover Town Meeting 2023 therefore requests the Select Board and the School Committee to direct all officers and departments of the Town to act, within the scope of their respective responsibilities and authority, to prioritize the above-stated goals.