In April 2021, Wellesley’s Town Meeting members made a promise. That spring, they agreed to reduce town-wide greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. It included interim targets of 50% below a 2007 baseline by 2030 and 75% percent below the baseline by 2040. The town then created a strategy to meet these goals: the Climate Action Plan. Wellesley citizens were guaranteed change, effort, and most importantly, environmentally friendly projects.
The Town Meeting Members will vote on Warrant Article 18 in their 2025 Spring Town Meeting. This proposal asks for funds regarding a feasibility study for the possibility of air conditioning installations in the Wellesley Middle School, as well as the Fiske, Schofield, and Bates elementary schools. A consultant for the feasibility study would examine the construction cost, process of installment, and energy inefficiency of the project.
If Warrant Article 18 passes, it would be prudent for a consulting firm with expertise in determining emission impacts and mitigation opportunities to conduct the feasibility study.
Choosing a consultant who does not fit this description would only propagate the root issue: temperatures are rising too high for Wellesley Public School students and faculty to fulfill their duties effectively. As a student enrolled in WPS since kindergarten, I have experienced these uncomfortable conditions firsthand. I do understand the urgency and importance of cooling down the buildings.
However, as an adolescent concerned for the future of her peers and all individuals globally, I hope the Town Meeting members understand the urgency and importance of choosing a consultant who can provide alternative measures to minimize the CO2 emissions and other environmental costs of this project.
As I learned in my AP Environmental Science class this year, there are a variety of ways to cool buildings, including the use of landscaping, curtains, and awnings. Heat pumps, which could run on Wellesley’s nearly 80% non-emitting energy, are also an efficient option.
If the consultant has inadequate experience in effective emissions reduction options, Wellesley will be in danger of emitting 24,058,916 pounds of CO2 (my calculations are shown below). This amount would significantly jeopardize the emissions goal set in 2021 by the Town Meeting members. Without a consultant who can provide concrete strategies for reducing the energy needed to cool the buildings, we are simply abandoning the town’s promises.
24 million pounds of CO2 is quite an alarming number. To put it into perspective, this is equivalent to driving around Earth 4,092 times. With an incredibly important promise to keep, we cannot afford to choose a consultant with an unsatisfactory background in offering low-energy methods and calculating environmental impacts.
The average concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere in 2024 was the highest it has ever been in human history; we have experienced monthly temperature records for the last fifteen consecutive months, and 1.2 trillion tons of ice are melting each year. We need to stop turning a blind eye to the climate crisis.
In Wellesley, we contribute harmful emissions via old, leaking buildings (63.3% of Wellesley’s emissions), overuse of single occupancy gas cars (30.6%), and our waste (6.1%). Increasing our emissions with traditional air conditioners and disregarding the future of all Wellesley citizens does not seem wise.
Although it can be easy to think that the promise made four years ago by the Town Meeting members is insignificant or inconsequential to the overall climate crisis, we must realize that Wellesley citizens are somewhat oblivious to the detrimental impacts of the climate crisis and each of us must take decisive action against it or we will never make progress.
Firstly, we are the lucky ones. Yes, our summers are becoming increasingly warmer, and perhaps we have fewer snow days than past winters. However, the majority of us cannot truly say that we understand the magnitude or implications of the climate crisis. We can open our weather app and be greeted with an air quality index of 23, but many are forced to endure an alarming daily index of 105.
I do recognize, though, that even my behavior does not align perfectly with the planet’s health, and it is unreasonable to think that everyone has the time, resources, or knowledge to make a significant impact. However, as citizens in a community of privilege, affluence, and intelligence, Wellesley citizens, including myself, at the very least have to try.
So, if the Town Meeting members decide to pass Article 18 this spring, I strongly urge them to research and carefully choose their consultant. To sway their opinion, I encourage all Wellesley citizens to contact their Town Meeting Members and School Committee Members this week about the issue. There is a promise to be kept, and ensuring its fulfillment is a shared responsibility.
