Funds to Protect Our Fragile Shoreline a Top Priority for Joan Meschino

Hull—Joan Meschino, Democratic candidate for State Representative, plans a comprehensive initiative to seek grants and other funding to help protect Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, and North Scituate from rising sea levels and continuing coastal erosion, if elected. Meschino is currently a member of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, which has completed more than $20 million in capital projects, including Quincy Shore Drive, since its inception in 2006.

“This district includes many miles of coastline, and we will continue to experience destructive storm surges and rising sea levels,” said Meschino, a Hull native who served two terms as a Hull Selectman. “Planning and executing proactive, protective measures is far more efficient and cost effective than simply cleaning up after major storms pound our fragile shoreline.  And here in New England, we know that these storms will continue to occur, like it or not.”

Reducing greenhouse gases, a major contributing factor in global warming and the resulting rising sea levels, is also a priority for Meschino.

“The evidence that sea levels will continue to rise and disrupt lives and threaten homes and businesses is indisputable,” said Meschino, an attorney and former executive director of Massachusetts Appleseed, a public interest justice center that promotes equal rights and opportunities by developing systemic solutions that eliminate social justice inequities. ”The ripple effect of climate change begins with greenhouse gases that cause rising sea levels that, in turn, can and do damage our infrastructure and threaten public safety with potential for serious injuries and fatalities.”

Meschino encourages everyone to use the climate change toolkit on her website to learn more about topics such as how climate change affects communities, greenhouse gas reduction strategies, and how marketplace reforms and increased energy efficiency make new gas pipelines unnecessary, at http://joanmeschino.com/climate-change.