December 7th Special Election – Select Board Candidates answer questions on energy and climate

What steps can Needham take to address the climate crisis? See what Select Board candidates Karen Calton and Kevin Keene had to say in response to Green Needham’s questions.

With Massachusetts setting ambitious goals and legally binding targets to drastically cut carbon emissions by 2030 – on the way to zero net emissions by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate change – cities and towns must participate in this work to ensure success. The next five to ten years are critical if we are to tackle the climate crisis and make the transition to a zero net carbon economy and a more prosperous future.

Our Select Board will be expected to lead the work here in Needham.  In April, 2021, we asked the candidates running for the Select Board to answer a series of questions to help voters understand their perspective on these critical issues.  Support for the development of a Climate Action Plan was one of those questions.  Since that time, our formal request that the Select Board take up the development of a Climate Action Plan received a positive response from the Board with their decision late this summer to create a Climate Action Plan committee.

Now, with a Special Election on December 7th, Green Needham has reached out to the candidates vying to fill the vacancy on the Select Board.  We asked Karen Calton and Kevin Keene a similar series of questions to help voters understand their perspective on these critical issues and the next steps forward for the Town of Needham.

We invite you to read their responses and share them with friends, family and neighbors.