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Students in environmental groups across Massachusetts are planning a state summit to help push Senator Marc R. Pacheco's (Taunton-D) Global Warming Solutions Act into Massachusetts state law by Earth Day.
Three weeks ago the State Senate passed the Massachusetts Senator's act, which mandates a cut in carbon dioxide emissions in Massachusetts by 20 percent by 2020 and an additional reduction in emissions of 80 percent by 2050.
The act still needs to make it through the Massachusetts House of Representatives to become state law, but the issue of global warming is a popular one currently. With people like ex-Vice President Al Gore championing the cause, and many environmental groups operating in this state, the act is expected to pass.
"It's extremely likely that the act will pass through the House. We think it's ambitious for us to try and get it done by Earth Day, but it will pass through soon," said Vanessa Wright, a University of Massachusetts senior, MassPIRG member and conference recruitment leader.
After Wright and some fellow students got back from the youth climate conference Power Shift '07' in Washington DC, they decided to use their new connections and collective inspiration to bring the climate movement to Massachusetts. The upcoming summit was initiated by Massachusetts Youth Climate Action, which is a collection of student climate organizations across the state.
"We are getting a lot of support from the State of Massachusetts, climate control isn't a quiet issue anymore," said Wright.
Since November, the coalition of student climate organizations has blossomed into dozens of partner organizations, most notably MassPIRG and Greenpeace. The name given to the April summit is the Massachusetts Power Shift (MAPS). It will be held April 11-14 and will include workshops, a rally, and a concert on the Boston Common. It will also include a lobby day on behalf of the Global Warming Solutions Act.
Lobby day will consist of breaking up the summit participants into districts and having them eventually come back together with one spokesperson each to interject and tell their collective stories.
"We hope to have one item, like a shirt, that all will ware to show unity," said Wright.
The first goal of MAPS is to get the Global Warming Solutions Act passed through the House of Representatives.
"The second goal is that we hope to create a strong community of activists, and also to have people young and old talk and communicate," said Wright. "It's important to unify."
The University of Massachusetts would like to send 100 students to MAPS, and they are urged to resister online. It costs $15 to register.
"The $15 covers our costs of renting a facility and sending out our information packet, and this is very cheap compared to other conferences of this nature," said Wright.
Mass carpooling is encouraged and if enough people and money is gathered, busses will be used.
Adam Coulter can be reached at acoulte@student.umass.edu
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