Boston Unveils BERDO 2.0 and Power Corps to Drive Climate Action

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston's environment chief outlines climate readiness plan, new green jobs program, and building emissions law. Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, Boston's Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, laid out the city's multi-front climate strategy in a July 22 appearance on the public-access program Commissioner's Corner, hosted by Lois Leonard. White-Hammond described a recently enacted ordinance, BERDO 2.0, that requires all buildings over 20,000 square feet to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 with legally binding five-year checkpoints, calling it "the floor" of what the science demands. She said the city's roughly 1,817 street ash trees face a threat from the emerald ash borer, with at least 200 expected to be lost, and confirmed the city will not replant ash until the pest is controlled. On transportation, she noted that 80 percent of Boston's transportation emissions come from commuters traveling in from outside the city, framing regional coordination as essential. The city recently announced Power Corps, a green workforce training program modeled on a Philadelphia initiative and targeting Boston residents ages 18 to 30, including those with criminal justice histories, with an explicit goal of having locally trained workers handling city tree calls within one year.