Wicked Local There’s a new climate act in town! Gov. Charlie Baker signed a hard-fought climate bill into law on March 26, laying out the next steps in Massachusetts’ plans to shrink greenhouse gas emissions, create greener jobs and prioritize environmental equity. "An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy" provides an important update to climate policy following Massachusetts’ landmark 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act and other updates. The new law also makes many changes to 2018’s Chapter 21N: Climate Protection and Green Economy Act, among other legislation. If, as the saying goes, "You can't improve what you don't measure," this bill will go some distance in improving emissions. Reporting requirements include periodic "statements" on how the commonwealth is progressing toward statewide greenhouse gas emissions (reductions) toward the goal of “net zero." This means the total amount of greenhouse gases we put into the atmosphere must be balanced by what we can remove (e.g. sequester).