Brookline Officials Support Green New Deal Thanks To Students

BROOKLINE, MA — The Brookline Select Board on Tuesday approved a proposal submitted by local students to support the Green New Deal. Students from Brookline High School and the Lawrence School submitted the resolution, saying they're worried about their future and the future of the environment.

"We already see the adverse effects of climate change in hurricanes, droughts, wild fires," Brookline High School Junior Anjali Mitra told the board at its meeting Tuesday. "This is our reality ... And it's only getting worse."

The Select Board agreed.

"This is the most serious issue facing us," said board Chair Neil Wishinsky. "The most disheartening thing is what's going on in Washington, with the folks in charge of the government down there just denying what's going on."

He added, "Getting us to say yes is an easy sell. And getting your congressional delegation in Massachusetts perhaps even some of the surrounding states here is an easy sell, but when you go broader there's a lot of climate change denial that we have to break through."

Indeed, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday failed to advance the Green New Deal bill, which was supported by a number of Democrats and criticized by Republicans and President Trump. The bill seeks to end the country's reliance on fossil fuels and includes the ambitious goal of having 100 percent of the country's power sources come from renewable energy power by 2030.

But it remains an issue that is close to home and will likely be a topic in the upcoming presidential election.

"It's fabulous to see young people stand up and say, 'Wait, this affects us we know what's happening we want change,'" Select Board member Nancy Heller said.

Patch Reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).