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Introduction to Climate Mitigation Blog - 17 April 2023
Introduction to Climate Mitigation Blog - 17 April 2023
As a class, our assignment is to research climate mitigation and/or adaptation plans for either our hometown or the college we will be attending next year (for seniors). Originally, I decided to look into the college that I will be attending next year, Babson College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. However, I was unable to find much information on Babson's climate mitigation plans, so I shifted to researching my hometown of Concord, NH. Concord has bold plans for climate change, in a document published by the City of Concord outlining the city's climate change goals a point was outlined, "By 2030, all electricity consumed in the city will be from renewable sources, and by 2050, all thermal energy and transportation energy consumed in the city will be renewable" (City of Concord). This means that Concord wants to shift to 100% renewable energy. One specific aspect of this plan is reducing the amount of gases emitted from transportation. Concord has been working on making the city more walkable, both to decrease the amount of air pollution and create a more tourist-friendly destination. I have chosen to focus on this specific topic because growing up in Concord I have been able to see the effort to transform downtown Concord in action and have seen a noticeable difference in the amount of automobile traffic versus foot traffic!
The efforts to revitalize Main Street of Concord were approved in 2012. A press release from US Senator, Jeanne Shaheen states, "The City of Concord has won a competitive TIGER IV federal grant for $4.71 million to design and build its Downtown Complete Streets Improvement Project, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) announced today. The funding will be used to upgrade transportation infrastructure in downtown Concord, reducing traffic congestion and improving safety for pedestrians and motorists. Concord officials estimate that these enhancements will reduce the vacancy rates of downtown buildings, increase property values by six percent and create 82 direct jobs" (Press Office). Making the city of Concord more walkable for pedestrians encourages residents to walk or bike to wherever they need to go downtown, reducing carbon emissions. Additionally, with more businesses and residential buildings moving to downtown people will be closer to the destinations that they need to access on a daily basis.
Although the proposal from the City of Concord never explicitly states the benefit of this remodeling plan, letters of support from local organizations and politicians highlight the benefit of this plan in terms of reducing CO2 emissions. The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) is an environmental advocacy organization working out of New England. This foundation wrote a letter of support for this revitalization plan that highlights the environmental benefit of this plan. This letter not only states their support for the general efforts to promote walking, biking, etc. but also for the plan for heated sidewalks. The proposal replaced Main Street's original sidewalks with heated sidewalks to reduce the amount of road salt used in the winter in addition to cutting down the time it takes to clear sidewalks after snow. The letter from the CLF states, "Water pollution provided by chlorides - resulting from the use of road salts - is a growing concern in New Hampshire. Indeed, the state has identified a number of watersheds that are impaired (i.e., violating state water quality standards) as a result of chlorides pollution caused by road-salting activities. By reducing the use of road salts, this innovative element of the Downtown Complete Streets Improvement Project will help reduce water pollution" (CLF's President, Thomas F. Irwin). While this pollution doesn't lead to climate change, many water supplies are at risk of being contaminated and the health of wildlife is at risk. It is notable that the city has also taken strides toward reducing pollution in addition to its climate mitigation efforts.
The Switch to 100% Renewable Energy
The Switch to 100% Renewable Energy
Another part of Concord's plan to switch to 100% renewable energy involves the hydroelectric dams installed in Penacook as well as the solar panels installed at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Concord. "In Penacook, three hydroelectric plants (11.2 mW in aggregate) owned by Briar Hydro Associates on the Contoocook River in Penacook" (City of Concord). These hydroelectric dams have been around for years producing power for Concord. The picture on the right shows the Unitarian Universalist church solar project that has recently been done, producing 32 kW. Although these renewable energy sources are quite small, they signify change and a step toward a better Concord and a better future" (Direct quote from my classmate, Miles Hurlbutt's blog). These two methods of generating power in parts of Concord show the city's further dedication to making a change.
A photo of my sister and I taken before Downtown's renovations
(photo credit: my father)
Reflection!
Reflection!
While the road to 100% renewable energy is an extremely ambitious goal for 2050, Concord has made developments that indicate they are serious about this goal. The remodeling of Downtown was successful in that the city has become more accessible to pedestrians than vehicles. Because the city's actions have taken place in the past few years, there is not enough time to have found concrete evidence that this downtown remodel has made an impact yet. However, in the coming years, it will be interesting to see if my observations about the number of carbon emissions are true and if they have reduced after the renovations. Additionally, Concord's generation of renewable energy through the three hydroelectric damns and the solar project show further dedication to making a change. Like I said before, 100% renewable energy in less than thirty years is bold, however, I think that the city is making progress toward that goal.
One of the most exciting moments of my childhood was when downtown Concord was done being remodeled. I remembered thinking that the new Main Street was picture-perfect and was excited to spend time walking around with family and friends. After starting research on Concord's climate mitigation plans I was surprised to hear that the revitalization of downtown was a key part of the effort to reduce climate change. Now, I completely understand and have actually seen changes. Since 2015 there has been a MAJOR rise in pedestrians walking around downtown. Also, there has been a significant reduction in traffic on Main Street. It is exciting that the city that I live in has made strides toward reducing climate change; I am now even more proud of being a Concord resident!
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