A historic heat wave felt around the globe has already killed at least 1,000 people, and rising temps in Boston are here to stay for the next several days.
Many scientists are linking the heat waves to climate change.
In the United States, scientists and climate activists are concerned about the lack of action at the federal level. Congress has failed to pass environmental bills, and the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled to limit the regulatory authority of the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Amy Myers Jaffe, professor and managing director at the Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Joe Curtatone, president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council, said on Greater Boston that the climate usually takes a backseat to other crises, but agreed it is crucial that President Joe Biden takes executive action and declares a climate emergency.
Jaffe said Biden can fast-track infrastructure and build on effective policies implemented within the states that can help with the climate crisis, such as promoting the use of electric vehicles and taxing new gas-powered vehicles, which will soon happen in California.
Curtatone said when it comes to the climate crisis, impacts are cumulative that build upon each other. "It's state by state, city by city, region by region," he said. "We will help lead this transition."
Watch: The heat is on, but political climate change response has been tepid
