Sen. Lydia Edwards and City Council Vice President Gabriela Coletta, who are both considered legislative champions for the environment, credited Mayor Wu for her leadership on the issue of climate change during remarks at the Mayor’s announcement of the 2030 Climate Change Plan Monday at LoPresti Park.
“Welcome to East Boston, the best neighborhood in the City of Boston,” began Edwards. “This is my home, but also it’s a beautiful diverse neighborhood that has been climate resilient and been fighting climate change before it was cool.”
Edwards praised the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, the Maverick Street Mothers, Air Inc., Tree Eastie, Eastie Farm, and the Piers Park Sailing Center for their efforts on environmental issues.
In praising Wu, Edwards told the large gathering, “She is the climate action mayor. I think to this day, she is the only [Boston] mayor that actually came out to Belle Isle Marsh and saw that beautiful [site], the natural lungs of this area, and I want to thank you, Mayor Wu, for all of your work and to the many city officials for your hearts. I appreciate your guidance and your pushing the state to do more not for just for the City of Boston, but for all of our futures.”
Coletta Zapata, who is expecting a child soon, said, “I’m so grateful to be here in my favorite park in the City of Boston, the best part in the city.”
“I’m grateful to work with our state partners, Rep. Adrian Madaro, who is an environmental champion, and Sen. Lydia Edwards, who has been at the forefront of fighting for this environmental justice community her entire career, and of course, Mayor Wu, for being a true Green New Deal mayor. As you can tell, Baby Zapata is not here yet, but he’s coming very soon, and I feel at ease about his future knowing that amid the uncertainty and hostile and regressive acts by the federal government, that we have local leadership here who is making this a priority.”
The former chairperson of the Council’s environmental justice committee, Coletta Zapata added, “I’m proud to stand here in this environmental justice community that has long been on the front lines of combating the climate crisis. In East Boston, we know that climate change is not abstract. It shows up in extreme heat on our hottest days and in coastal flooding along our waterfront, and in the very air that our families breathe. And for too long, communities like ours have carried a disproportionate share of those burdens, and that’s why today matters. This climate action plan represents a shift from planning to action, and from siloed efforts to coordinated citywide strategies that center equity, public health, and accountability.”