Extinction Rebellion Boston disrupts Climate Chief Hoffer's keynote discussion at Harvard's Power Shift conference

Climate activists disrupt business as usual at a greenwashing conference, demand that the Healey administration ban new fossil fuel infrastructure as the first step to a rapid and just decarbonization.

Massachusetts must place the well-being of every present and future human being above the fossil fuel industry's profits. We demand that the Healey administration stop allowing new fossil fuel infrastructure to be built and cancel all current fossil fuel projects.

Extinction Rebellion condemns new fossil fuel infrastructure that will be in operation for decades, preventing us from achieving decarbonization and threatening us with runaway global heating and an uninhabitable Earth.

BOSTON, MA — On Thursday, October 21, seven climate activists from Extinction Rebellion Boston (XR) disrupted Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer's keynote discussion at the Power Shift: Energy Innovation, Sustainability, and Equity conference to demand that the Healey administration stop private jet expansion at Hanscom airfield. The conference, hosted by the Harvard Radcliffe institute, advertised that "Chief Hoffer will explore how we can reach net-zero commitments; inspire youth and other leaders to take up the call to action; and achieve a sustainable future through public policy, bold partnerships, and even bolder ideas."

The activists communicated that they would cease targeting and disrupting members of the Healey administration, once Governor Healey made a public statement committing her administration to opposing private jet expansion at Hanscom airfield. Rebels held a large white banner with black and red font reading "No Hanscom Airfield Expansion: Stop Private Jets." They chanted "Climate Chief Hoffer, you make the rules, time to ban new fossil fuels," "Our carbon budgets will be spent, all thanks to the 1%!" Four of the protestors who disrupted tonight's conference are currently facing trial for their involvement in an April action at Hanscom Airfield, which resulted in a four-hour shutdown of aviation activity.

"As our state's Climate Chief, Melissa Hoffer has the responsibility to publicly oppose the planned expansion at Hanscom," said Bob Keener (he/him), a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. "And so far, not a peep. Independent research found that the expansion would undo 10 years of progress on reducing carbon in the state. Why isn't that a concern for her?"

The plans for private jet expansion at Hanscom Airfield include 17 new private jet hangars. This expansion would accommodate a 300% increase in private jet services and is currently under consideration by the Massachusetts Port Authority. Based on a comprehensive analysis of private flights traveling to and from Hanscom Field over an 18-month period, the expansion would primarily serve the wealthiest travelers in the region, many of whom frequently take short-hop flights to recreational and luxury destinations. Many flights are as little as 15 minutes, traveling from Concord to Boston Logan International Airport.

The Hanscom community and taxpayers of Massachusetts are overwhelmingly demanding the end of this development plan. Local organization Stop Private Jet Expansion delivered a petition with more than 10,000 signatures to Governor Healey on October 2, 2023. The petition now has over 13,000 signatures. The group has also organized and hosted over 50 stand-outs in nearby towns. Members of Stop Private Jet Expansion have attended every Massport board meeting since May 2023 to deliver public comments. Meanwhile, climate activists with Extinction Rebellion Boston have directly confronted the Governor about the expansion multiple times since May 2023 by calling into the "Ask the Governor" segment on WGBH's "Listen To Jim and Margery" radio show. XR Boston members have also intercepted Healey in person at the State House, demanding a response.

"We are disrupting today’s address to raise concerns about the environmental and societal consequences of expanding private jet capacity at Hanscom Airfield" said Peter Watson (he/him), a local MetroWest resident and one of Hanscom 21 defendants. "As climate change continues to threaten our planet, we cannot allow the interests of a wealthy few to take precedence over the health and well-being of the majority. This expansion will significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions, worsening air quality, and degrading the quality of life for environmental justice communities. We urge decision-makers to prioritize sustainable practices that protect our communities and reconsider this harmful project."

As reported in Space.com (1), Earth has broken temperature records for 14 consecutive months — with every month registering temperatures 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than pre-industrial averages. Every month since June 2023 has been hotter than the one preceding it, making the global average temperature between July 2023 and June 2024 1.64 C (3 F) greater than it was before the Industrial Revolution, when humans started burning fossil fuels to release huge quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

According to Yale Climate Connections (2), "August 2024 was Earth’s warmest August in analysis of global data going back to 1850, and the past three months (summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere) were the warmest June-to-August period on record." 2023 already smashed the record for world's hottest year by "a huge margin"(3). Studies show that New England is warming faster than the rest of the world (4). Already, Massachusetts is seeing a massive uptick in the spread of diseases from mosquitoes and ticks during longer summers. Extreme heat has also claimed nearly 30 lives in Massachusetts over the past decade, and the numbers are expected to soar as the climate crisis worsens. By all scientific expectations, outcomes will only get rapidly worse from here without immediate mitigation efforts.

Independent research (5) found that the planned Hanscom expansion would cancel up to 70% of the climate benefits from all the solar capacity installed in Massachusetts.

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Extinction Rebellion Boston is an autonomous chapter of the international grassroots movement, Extinction Rebellion (XR), which started in London in 2018. The purpose of XR is to tell the truth about how dire the ecological and climate crises are and spark immediate action in order to prevent climate and ecological collapse. We aim to mobilize people around the world to utilize nonviolent direct action to demand that governments take radical action to avert societal collapse caused by widespread climate and ecological disaster and to protect frontline communities, biodiversity, and the natural world. This movement is non-political and unites all of humanity behind a singular goal of a just and livable future for all. Learn more about Extinction Rebellion at: xrboston.org

XR Boston’s recruiting, training, and capacity building is supported by the Climate Emergency Fund, which strategically supports ultra-ambitious organizations demanding solutions to the climate crisis at emergency speed.

1. https://www.space.com/last-12-months-broke-temperature-records
   
2. https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/09/earth-has-its-hottest-august-and-hottest-june-august-on-record/
3. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/09/2023-record-world-hottest-climate-fossil-fuel
4. https://www.clf.org/blog/climate-change-worsens-extreme-weather-in-new-england/
5. https://ips-dc.org/report-hanscom-high-flyers/