Healey-Driscoll Administration Launches Climate Science Advisory Panel
New advisory panel to provide essential guidance on current climate data best practices and needs
BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration today launched a Climate Science Advisory Panel through the new Massachusetts Office of Climate Science (OCS) to provide expertise on statewide climate science and future projections used to inform state and local climate adaptation planning and projects. The Panel is comprised of experts within Massachusetts and across the region who will advise OCS on the latest advances and applications in climate science related to hazards such as extreme heat, flooding, sea level rise, and health impacts to inform the state's climate adaptation and resilience strategy.
“Our policies and programs must be guided by the latest data and cutting-edge science to better serve and protect our most vulnerable communities against climate change,” said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “We’re building out our capacity across agencies to ensure we’re using the best information to inform our policymakers and community partners. We’ll be guided by some of the top academics in the region through this panel.”
“The creation of the Climate Science Advisory Panel will be a tremendous resource as we integrate climate action into every agency in state government,” said Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer. “We must commit to following the latest scientific findings and expand our whole-of-government approach to tackle future extreme climate events. The guidance provided by these experts will ensure that we have the latest data to promote public awareness of climate change and to make the best decisions for our communities.”
Launched in October 2023, OCS was established within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs as part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s ResilientMass Plan. OCS supports agencies, municipalities, and the public in understanding, accessing, and appropriately utilizing the state’s climate change data in planning, policy, and projects. The Climate Science Advisory Panel will provide critical guidance and understanding of climate research findings to support our communities in adapting to a changing climate. Panelists will guide the development of the State of the Climate Science Report that will inform the Commonwealth’s strategy for updating climate projections to incorporate the latest science and ensure projections are designed to serve the needs of priority populations as well as key adaptation sectors.
Statements of Support
Dr. Ellen Mecray (Regional Climate
Services Director, Eastern Region NOAA/NESDIS/National Centers for
Environmental Information)
“NOAA is thrilled to see the state climate office established for Massachusetts. The state climate offices around the country are a key player, along with the Regional Climate Centers, in NOAA's ability to deliver climate services to state and local scales. The Massachusetts State Climate Office has a unique approach with assistant state climatologists focusing on coastal and on inland issues. Additionally, they are establishing an advisory panel of academics that will support the office to deliver the best available climate science and information for the Commonwealth.”
Dr. Sarah Das
“I am honored to be joining many distinguished colleagues as part of the inaugural Climate Science Advisory Panel convened by the new MA EEA Office of Climate Science. Climate change presents enormous challenges, but our response to these challenges also provides many opportunities. As a resident of coastal Massachusetts, I see daily the climate impacts already affecting the lives and livelihoods of people in our towns and cities. As a mother, I further feel the responsibility and urgency to act in ways that leave not only my kids, but all kids, a safer and more hopeful future. This is truly an “all hands on deck” moment, and I look forward to using my expertise in polar and ocean science to help our Commonwealth build resilient, healthy and sustainable communities, not only for today but for generations to come.”
Dr. Gaurab Basu
“As communities across Massachusetts feel the worsening impacts of climate change, a commitment to conducting and explaining climate science has never been more important. Climate science provides us with a foundational anchoring for the policy work needed to urgently build a clean, healthy, and just clean energy future, and to understand how the Commonwealth will need to work to protect our communities from the worst impacts of climate change. A commitment to climate science as a guiding principle for defining the work that must be done is critical to the future of our Commonwealth. It is essential that analysis of the health implications of climate policy is incorporated into this new office, and I'm honored to bring voice to the public health and environmental factors impacting my patients to this work.”
Dr. Mathew Barlow
“I am delighted that the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has established a new Office of Climate Science, led by Dr. Edwin Sumargo. This is another key step in Massachusetts’ comprehensive response to climate change and demonstrates the state’s commitment to science-based decision-making. While the basic science of climate change has been settled for decades, the severity of impacts and the need for urgent response highlight the importance of acting based on the best and most current science. Climate change is a crucial challenge for Massachusetts – as evidenced just this summer with multiple severe flooding events -- as well as an opportunity for leadership in a green economy and an equitable and just response, and I am proud to join the EEA Climate Science Advisory Panel. I look forward to contributing to this vital effort.”
Dr. Robert DeConto
“The launch of this Panel could not be more timely, and I am proud to serve the Commonwealth in this capacity. Massachusetts is warming considerably faster than the national average, precipitation events are becoming more extreme, and our coastlines are experiencing accelerating sea level rise. Without thoughtful planning, these mounting environmental stressors will begin to push, and in some cases exceed, the limits of the Commonwealth’s adaptability, with negative and unequal impacts on our communities, economy, ecosystems, and our collective future. To me, this Panel is an important step toward ensuring a thriving, sustainable, and just Massachusetts for generations to come.”
Climate Science Advisory
Panelists
C. Adam Schlosser, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
in the Center for Global Change Science, MIT
Associate Professor of Earth & Environment, Boston University
David Boutt, PhD
Associate Professor of Geosciences, Co-Director of Environmental Science Program, UMass Amherst
Elizabeth Sawin, PhD
Founder and Director, Multisolving Institute
Erin Coughlan de Perez,
PhD
Research Director and
Dignitas Professor, Tufts University
Senior Advisor, Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre
Gaurab Basu, MD, MPH
Director of Education and Policy at Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Jayne Knott, PhD
Principal and Senior Scientist, JFK Environmental Services
Jon Woodruff, PhD
Professor of Earth, Geographic & Climate Sciences, Co-Director of Northeast Climate Adaptation Center, UMass Amherst/NECASC
Klaus Keller, PhD
Hodgson Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Dartmouth College
Lucy Hutyra, PhD
Professor of Earth & Environment, 2023 MacArthur Fellow, Boston University
M. Patricia Fabian,
ScD
Associate Professor of the Department of Environmental Health, Associate Director at the Institute for Global Sustainability, Boston University
Mathew Barlow, PhD
Professor of Climate Science, UMass Lowell
Michael Iacono, MS
Chief Scientist, Blue
Hill Observatory and Science Center
Senior Staff Scientist, Verisk - Atmospheric and Environmental Research
Paul Kirshen, PhD
Professor of Climate Adaptation, Research Director of the Stone Living Lab, UMass Boston
Radley Horton, PhD
Professor, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University
Robert DeConto, PhD
Professor of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences, Director of School of Earth & Sustainability, UMass Amherst/NECASC
Robert Kopp, PhD
Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Director of the Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub, Co-Director of the University Office of Climate Action, Rutgers University
Sarah Das, PhD
Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Stacey Archfield, PhD
Research Hydrologist, U.S Geological Survey
Susanne Moser, PhD
Director and Principal Researcher, Susanne Moser Research & Consulting
Upmanu Lall, PhD
Global Futures Professor
in the School of Complex Adaptive Systems, Director of the Water
Institute, Arizona State University
