Massachusetts legislators propose bill encouraging taxpayers to fight climate change

The state’s Joint Committee on Revenue held a hearing at the Massachusetts State House Tuesday afternoon to discuss a bill that would allow residents to voluntarily contribute part or all of their tax returns to the Least Developed Countries Fund.

The Least Developed Countries fund is a national initiative that helps underdeveloped countries battle the negative effects of climate change, according to the bill.

During the hearing, the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Michael Barrett, emphasized the fact that the bill makes the donation voluntary, not mandatory.

“We are not taking money from Massachusetts residents that they do not wish to give,” he said. “The beauty of this is that only those who want to take part have to take part.

Barrett called on the state to lead in absence of federal government support for climate change.

“We could fill a void that the federal government has created,” he said. “We need action on the part of states, cities, and provinces.”

After the hearing, Barrett told The Daily Free Press there is both a want and a need for the bill to be passed.

“My constituents are willing to give whatever they have to help others,” Barrett said. “What is unique about this bill is that it gives the people of Massachusetts a chance to speak internationally to people facing the common crisis of global warming.”

Barbara Kates-Garnick, former state undersecretary of energy and a professor in the graduate school of international affairs at Tufts University, said the bill enables taxpayers to easily take action against climate change, even if they’re not typically activists.

“This is a voluntary checkoff, but it provides an opportunity for citizens of Massachusetts to choose to act,” Kates-Garnick said. “This legislation connects everyday Massachusetts citizens with global solutions. It’s a way for the next generation to ensure that impacts that we have caused today get solved tomorrow.”

Adil Najam, the dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, also voiced support for the bill.

“We are now living in the time of action, which means that the time to change is no longer a fact that can be avoided, it is a fact that must be confronted,” he said.

Massachusetts has the ability to emerge as a leading force in preventing climate change in the absence of leadership on that front from the current presidential administration, Najam told The Daily Free Press after the hearing.  

“The federal government has made their priorities very clear, and it is clear they are not going to devote the time or resources to this issue, so we must,” Najam said.

Abby Maxman, the president of advocacy group Oxfam America, said the bill allows for individuals to make a concrete difference in the lives of those most vulnerable to climate change.

“From floods in Nepal and Bangladesh to droughts in Ethiopia to the destructive hurricanes that ravished the Caribbean, we are all witnesses to our climate reality and the suffering it brings,” Maxman said.

Several Boston residents, such as Anthony Lopez, 25, of Allston, said the bill could help generate much-needed funds to combat climate change in underdeveloped countries.  

“I’m from a third-world country. I’m from Mexico,” Lopez said. “They need our help and our money more than we need it for silly things.”

Others, such as Monique Allen, 31, of Dorchester, were skeptical of the bill’s success if passed, but agreed the idea is worth exploring.

“It is a good idea because it is all about helping others and healing other parts of the world,” Allen said. “I would consider donating, but I don’t know how many people would give up part of their tax return.”

Eric Lazarian, 52, of Allston, said economic constraints could prevent the everyday citizen from being able to donate, despite their wish to do so.

“I wouldn’t mind having the option available to donate, but I would only be able to if I had a really good year,” Lazarian said. “It’s not as easy to donate anymore.”