This page provides an overview of the steps Massachusetts is taking to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

Massachusetts first completed a Climate Protection Plan in 2004 to address climate mitigation goals. In 2008, the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs convened an Adaptation Advisory Committee under the Global Warming Solutions Act (Section 9) to develop strategies for adapting to predicted changes to the climate and impacts on Massachusetts. The Adaptation Advisory Committee members represented 12 sectors and focus areas: transportation and built infrastructure; commercial, industrial, and manufacturing activities; low-income consumers; energy generation and distribution; land conservation; water supply and quality; recreation; ecosystem dynamics; coastal zone and ocean; rivers and wetlands; and local government. In addition, the committee included experts in public health, insurance, forestry, agriculture, and public safety. The committee’s final report, Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report (“2011 Report”) was published in September 2011. The 2011 Report provides a comprehensive overview of climate change impacts in Massachusetts, specific vulnerabilities in multiple sectors, and explicit climate adaptation goals.

Aligning Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Planning

On September 16, 2016, Governor Charles D. Baker signed Executive Order No. 569, “Establishing an Integrated Climate Change Strategy for the Commonwealth.” In addition to several provisions aimed at achieving air emission standards under the Global Warming Solutions Act, the order directed state officials, led by the Executive Offices of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Public Safety and Security, to develop a statewide climate adaptation plan, based on the best available climate impact data, within two years and update it every five years. The plan is intended to provide a blueprint for protecting the Commonwealth’s built and natural environment. Under the plan, the listed state agencies must document observed and projected climate trends for the purpose of providing state agencies and municipalities with goals and strategies for addressing those impacts through adaptation and resiliency measures. The plan also requires state agencies and municipalities to establish a framework to assess vulnerabilities to climate change and extreme weather events and identify corresponding adaptation options, with technical assistance provided by the Commonwealth. The 2011 Report on climate adaptation will be combined with an update to the 2013 State Hazard Mitigation Plan by the Massachusetts Emergency Emergency Management Agency. In September 2018, the Commonwealth released its combined integrated State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan, which includes multiple risk management objectives.

Resilience Grants and Initiatives

In January 2014, Massachusetts’s Governor Deval Patrick announced a $50 million climate preparedness initiative. The initiative created a $40 million Community Clean Energy Resilience Initiative (formerly called the Municipal Resilience Grant Program) administered by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources with the goal of enabling cities and towns to use clean energy technologies to reduce the likelihood of disruptions in electrical services. In addition, the initiative called for an investment of $10 million in essential coastal infrastructure and dam repair, including an initial $1 million in municipal Coastal Resilience Grants through the Office of Coastal Zone Management to address sea-level rise in 78 eligible coastal municipalities. The program has received additional funding and awarded grants to eligible communities every year since 2014 for projects such as assessing shoreline stabilization alternatives, nourishing beaches, and evaluating different project designs to elevate infrastructure and roads vulnerable to flooding and sea-level rise.

On August 21, 2018, Governor Baker signed legislation authorizing over $2.4 billion in funding for state investments to, among other purposes, protect people, businesses, and built structures from the impacts of climate change. The law also codifies parts of Governor Baker’s Executive Order 569, including prioritizing funding for the Municipal Vulnerability Hazard Preparedness grant program and calling for an integrated State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan. Specifically, the law will allocate $501 million for the state and local governments to respond to and prepare for climate change impacts like natural disasters, sea-level rise, and inland flooding with:

• $290 million for improvements and repairs to dams and seawalls and to implement diverse coastal resiliency strategies;
• $75 million to provide planning and grants to communities through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program; and
• $100 million to apply towards implementing the Commonwealth’s State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan.

Because Massachusetts only released its new State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan in September 2018 pursuant to Executive Order 569, these pages primarily highlight the progress the Commonwealth is making in implementing the adaptation actions and goals set forth in the 2011 Report.

Other resources from the Adaptation Clearinghouse, which have been developed and adopted to help Massachusetts prepare for the impacts of climate change, are featured in the chart below.

The Georgetown Climate Center’s State Adaptation Progress Tracker, which tracks the progress states are making in implementing adaptation plans, was supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

(Research last updated: April 12, 2019).