For environmentalists in Mass., a day of stress eating and laying plans after Trump's win

Climate change was mostly absent from the Trump and Harris campaigns, but it was in the air in Massachusetts on Wednesday after the results were called. Boston and Worcester hit record high temperatures by midday, and all of southern New England was under a “red flag” fire warning.

As the reality of a second Trump administration sank in, local climate and environmental leaders dealt with their anxiety in different ways — some took a day off to clear their heads, one described stress eating cinnamon buns and Halloween candy.

“I'm sad,” said Elizabeth Turnbull Henry, president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, with an audible sigh. “Today feels like a national day of mourning for the environmental community — and frankly, for anyone around the world who's paying attention to the climate crisis.”

Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, was similarly distressed.

“Massachusetts residents can expect dirtier air and water now that polluters will be given control of national regulatory standards,” he said. “We are going to need to do more to adapt to worsening impacts from climate change now that efforts to decarbonize the economy at the national level will be curtailed.”

Trump has called climate change a “hoax,” and said he plans to kneecap several federal environmental agencies. He's called for increasing oil and natural gas production, which would exacerbate climate change. And he’s railed against the Biden administration’s key climate initiative, the Inflation Reduction Act. The law has funneled billions of dollars to states, including Massachusetts, and helped supercharge the transition to renewable energy.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Gov. Maura Healey said Massachusetts is committed to meeting its climate goals and becoming a global hub for climate technology.

“We are not taking our foot off the pedal,” Healey said. “We care about the climate and our environment. We're going to continue to lead on offshore wind energy, climate tech innovation and good jobs.”

And yet, while Massachusetts can move forward without federal support, having that support — and, in particular, money — is a huge help, many environmentalists said.

According to Healey, Massachusetts has received more than $8 billion from the Biden-Harris administration, including funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This money is being used for a variety of climate-related initiatives, including reimbursing residents for energy efficient appliances, upgrading the electric grid and installing electric heat pumps in low-income households.

While some fear unspent federal funds could be clawed back, others, like former White House National Climate Advisor, and Boston-native, Gina McCarthy, said the policies of the last four years have created momentum for the move away from fossil fuels that will be hard to stop.

“Our country has seen the most significant investments in rebuilding our economy over the past four years by creating jobs in clean energy, protecting public health, and supporting communities most in need,” McCarthy said.

She noted that many of these new energy projects are under construction — or already operating — in Republican districts. “The IRA is good for businesses and good for all Americans, [so] any attempted rollback of the IRA is a fool’s errand.”

Some environmentalists are facing the reality of a second Trump administration with a focus on local action.

“I don't want the only message to be ‘doom and gloom’ because I think that there is a lot for the state to be proud of and a lot that we can still achieve,” said Casey Bowers, executive director of the Environmental League of Massachusetts’ Action Fund. “So I'm not willing to throw in the towel, and I don't think anyone in the environmental community is.”

She and others cited the sweeping climate and clean energy law under consideration in the state legislature, as well as the investments Massachusetts has made in climate technology and preparation for the effects of climate change.

“We are well positioned to continue to make progress on both climate and environmental protection,” said Brad Campbell, president of the Conservation Law Foundation in Massachusetts. “The battles will be tougher, but during the last [Trump] administration, we scored major wins on environmental protection and decarbonizing the economy through our efforts at the state level.”

He added that the election of Trump means state leaders will need to step up their actions to fight climate change.

“I think the burden on them will be greater. We will be looking to them for leadership to essentially make up for the kind of leadership and protections that we’re not going to see at the federal level,” he said.

Rep. Jeff Roy of Franklin, a Democrat who co-chairs the legislative committee that handles climate policy, said lawmakers aren’t taking this responsibility lightly.

“It will be up to states, like Massachusetts, to continue to lead the way and endure for the next four years under a President who will stifle the progress made to date,” he wrote in an email. “We stand ready to continue our work, step up once again, and lead the way despite his resistance.”

While this election is likely to have significant consequences in a variety of areas, it's going to be a particular blow to recent progress on climate and environmental justice issues, said Mireille Bejjani, co-executive director of Slingshot, a regional environmental justice organization.

“It is a moment for a lot of people, and for a lot of reasons, to grieve and to despair,” she said.

And yet, she added, “no matter what the outcome was, we were going to have to keep organizing because there’s always more work that we have to do, there’s always more we want to push for.

“So let’s focus on that instead of letting ourselves be pushed into hopelessness or helplessness.”