Our View: Energy series shows that climate change is your business

A forum held Wednesday night in New Bedford aimed to move climate resilience forward by adding regional, local and personal context. Leadership SouthCoast organized the event with partners Marion Institute, clean energy advocate Acadia Center, Toxics Action Center, and SouthCoast Media Group.

Putting the commonwealth’s energy options into context allowed a discussion of the ongoing energy debate taking place on Beacon Hill, as well as the energy decisions being made town by town in SouthCoast.

Several dozen folks attended the panel discussion, and organizers expect interest to grow as subsequent Leadership SouthCoast forums dig deeper into the subject. A second forum planned for September will tackle employment issues surrounding renewable energy sources. From skyrocketing employment in the field of solar energy installations to the potential of an innovation hub around offshore wind, to the performance of home energy audits, renewable energy is a growth industry, and it deserves our attention.

We look forward to the continued community discussion begun on Wednesday night, knowing that recognizing the need for action frees up our effort and money for progress instead of wasting resources trying to justify inaction.