Climate justice for the city of Boston: Visioning policies and processes

This report provides a brief overview of what future climate projections warn for Boston and its neighborhoods, the current status of Boston’s climate activities, and what social and economic vulnerabilities already exist in the city and how these inequities could be exacerbated if climate planning is not done in a thoughtful, long-term and inclusive way. It will detail the grassroots origins of climate justice as an issue, and how it is now expressed using three main principles: procedural justice, distributive justice, and just recognition. Crafting ideas and recommendations for how the city could approach climate change - while addressing existing inequities and creating a more just future – demands that the voices of vulnerable residents and communities are heard to illuminate their present-day concerns and desires for a more prosperous and equitable future. This report therefore presents the concerns and ideas collected from 47 interviews, with particular focus on 31 interviews with Boston-area community organizations.

A resilient city is one that is both climate resilient and has intentionally created a resilient social and economic fabric to weather the coming storm. Drawing on the goals of the climate justice movement, academic literature, other cities’ experiences and local knowledge and ideas, the report presents recommendations for Boston’s City Council to explore in pursuit of a more resilient Boston. The report concludes with a summary of the most critical takeaways and limitations of the research project.