By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
With the unusual weather that has been happening over the years, Mass Audubon representative Tia Pinney stopped by the Walpole Public Library to discuss the nature of Massachusetts in a changing climate. Working for Mass Audubon for over twenty five years, Pinney is currently the senior naturalist and ecological management coordinator in Mass Audubon’s Metrowest Region. She is very much involved in the Region’s educational programming as well as being in charge of all the ecological issues whether they be landscaped, wild, or agricultural.
Pinney stressed that education about our changing climate is of utmost importance in our world today. While we do not know what exactly will happen in the future if we do not make certain changes, scientists have come up with different predictions of what our state could look like going forward. One of these predictions, Pinney explained, is that by the end of this century, Massachusetts could have thirty four days of the temperature being at or above ninety degrees Fahrenheit. To put that into perspective, that is over a month's time of extreme heat in Massachusetts.
When it came to these predictions, Pinney explained, “These are all models. This isn’t a given. These are modeled projections based on what we see and what we know is happening now and what the computer models project will happen in the future. It is not a given but it is a probability if we don’t do something. We feel strongly enough that I’m allowed to say this as a representative of Mass Audubon. This isn't just high in the sky… This is stuff that we should be aware of.”
With predictions comes the call for action: Pinney explained that there are many things that we can do to help our changing climate since it inevitably affects all living things. The main three being: reduce emissions, remove emissions, and adapt to emissions. One way in which local communities can do their part in helping is by coming up with a plan for municipal vulnerability preparedness. In fact, Walpole is one community who has had this plan set in place since 2020. Titled, “Integrated Water Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment and Climate Resiliency Plan,” the town of Walpole has taken a step in the right direction towards bettering our climate changing problem.
There are many ways in which we as individuals can lend a helping hand to this ongoing problem, but the question always remains, “Is it too late?” When asked this question, Pinney responded, “I think for a number of people, there is the attitude of it’s too late and I can’t do anything about it. But that is the ostrich with a head in the sand. It’s a way of avoiding the need to do anything. It’s not too late. It’s not too late in the big picture, I’m sure it’s too late for a few of the smaller things. We will lose some species. We will change. Change is inevitable.”
For information about ways in which you can help, please visit Walpole Green’s Facebook page.
