Here’s How Cambridge City Council Candidates Plan to Address Climate Change

Four months after Cambridge became the first known city in the United States to require large buildings to reach net-zero emissions by 2035, environmental policy has become a key issue in the City Council race, with the majority of candidates pledging to expand legislation addressing climate change.

At a candidate forum last Tuesday hosted by five local environmental groups, 16 Council hopefuls proposed policies to strengthen emission-reduction legislation, install more bike lanes, and resume full weekend closures of Memorial Drive. A total of 24 candidates are running for nine at-large seats, with elections slated for Nov. 7.

Challengers including Ayah A. Al-Zubi ’23, Jivan G. Sobrinho-Wheeler, and Vernon K. Walker called for strengthening and expanding the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance. Passed in 2014 and amended this summer, BEUDO requires certain property owners to report their utilities usage and reduce emissions to net-zero by 2035 and 2050 deadlines.

Walker said he would seek to expand BEUDO’s coverage to residential buildings, and Sobrinho-Wheeler called on Cambridge to follow New York City’s lead and include mid-sized buildings in net-zero goals.

Al-Zubi, a recent Harvard College graduate, emphasized the need for the city to hold Harvard and MIT accountable for their fossil fuel emissions.

“These institutions do have the highest emissions in Cambridge,” she said, adding that Harvard’s “reluctance to act on this is unacceptable.”

Data from the most recent BEUDO report shows that energy use in buildings accounts for 80 percent of Cambridge’s total carbon emissions, of which Harvard-owned property comprised approximately 12.4 percent. MIT-owned property accounted for 26.4 percent of total emissions.

Candidates at the forum were also asked if they would support Cambridge’s application to participate in a program implementing fossil-fuel-free requirements for the construction of new and existing buildings undergoing major renovations. Cambridge would be one of 10 cities in Massachusetts to adopt the policy if selected for the pilot.

Incumbent Patricia M. “Patty” Nolan ’80 — who voted in favor of the program in August — was joined by the majority of panel attendees in expressing support for the pilot.

Challenger Joan F. Pickett said she is hesitant about expanding requirements for buildings undergoing major renovations.

Candidates also offered a variety of proposals to grow Cambridge’s tree canopy.

Challenger Doug P. Brown suggested that the city plant one tree for each of its residents, and fellow challenger Federico Muchnik proposed a “Trees for Tots” campaign that would assign a tree to every incoming kindergartener to “track the progress of that tree over the course of its life so that the city will not chop that tree down.”

Candidates also discussed ways to reduce pollution from motor vehicles by encouraging biking and debated the continuation of the current Cycling Safety Ordinance policy, which requires the rapid creation of separated bike lanes.

While Sobrinho-Wheeler — who sponsored amendments expanding the scope of the Cycling Safety Ordinance — supported their continued creation, Pickett raised concerns about congestion, calling for a pause in the implementation of the ordinance as the policy is reevaluated.

Pasquarello said she does not support the Cycling Safety Ordinance but called for a transport utilization study and innovative ways to implement bike lanes, such as by creating “elevated bike lanes with possibly solar panels on top.”

Candidates also discussed potential changes to Memorial Drive weekend restrictions at the forum. Incumbent Burhan Azeem expressed support for full weekend closures of the road and joined Sobrinho-Wheeler in calling for a reduction in the number of lanes of traffic in order to increase green space in the area.

Memorial Drive is currently closed on Sundays. By Julian J. Giordano

On Thursday, the Memorial Drive Alliance published the results of a candidate questionnaire completed by 11 of the 24 candidates, all of whom supported maintaining full weekend closures of Memorial Drive to cars as well as potentially repurposing 1-2 lanes of the road for pedestrian or cyclist use.

Three incumbents running for reelection declined to fill out the questionnaire: E. Denise Simmons, Paul F. Toner, and Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui. The Alliance noted that both Simmons and Toner previously voted against continuing Memorial Drive weekend closures.

The Memorial Drive Alliance has not endorsed any candidates, and neither have the environmental groups who hosted last week’s candidate forum, none of whom are legally allowed to make endorsements.

Climate advocacy organization Run on Climate has endorsed Walker and Totten. Totten also received the endorsement of the Cambridge chapter of Sunrise Movement, which has not endorsed any other candidates.

—Staff writer Julian J. Giordano can be reached at julian.giordano@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @jjgiordano1 or on Threads @julianjgiordano.