In our Fourth Regional Plan, RPA talked about the need to fix the institutions that are failing us. Our governing bodies were created by residents to meet the needs of the times in which they were created. For example, most of the region’s environmental governance was created to help protect and manage open space, to clean the region’s air and water. But when faced with new challenges such as climate change, public institutions are slow to take action, and do so piecemeal and without adequate funding.

That is why RPA is calling for a Regional Coastal Commission, a new body that would help fill a critical need, to take a science-based, proactive, coordinated approach to planning for adaptation in the face of climate change.

What’s at stake? Over the next 30 years sea level is predicted to rise by as much as two feet. This puts hundreds of thousands of residents, and a huge amount of our region’s critical infrastructure at risk.

Our newest video explains why we need a Regional Coastal Commission and how this new entity can help protect our region’s residents and economy.

To learn more about the Regional Coastal Commission, visit www.rpa.org/adapt