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Congressman McGovern urges students to act on climate change, outlines federal conservation tools
Summary
Rep. McGovern spoke to Westborough middle-school students about climate risks, federal programs such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund, recent rollbacks of environmental funding and how students can use civic engagement to influence policy.
Congressman McGovern told a group of Westborough middle-school students that climate change is real and that citizens — including young people — can influence government policy on the issue. He framed the students' class project, in which they will draft a proposed 28th Constitutional amendment on climate, as a concrete way to connect science with civic action.
McGovern described federal conservation programs and gave a local example, saying officials used a mix of federal, state and local funding to preserve roughly 300 acres in Deerfield. "We have programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund," he said, explaining that some federal grants require preserved land to remain open space in perpetuity.
He told students a major federal package passed a few years ago to accelerate wind and solar projects, but warned that some of that funding has been reduced or is at risk. "Some of that money is being, you know, basically taken away," he said, calling budget choices "moral documents" that reflect public values. He also said fossil-fuel industry lobbying has slowed some clean-energy investments.
On energy sources, McGovern acknowledged renewed interest in nuclear power but noted historic safety concerns; he argued that expanding clean renewable sources reduces dependence on volatile global oil markets. Asked what happens to businesses that pollute, he said consequences depend on the violation and urged citizens to report suspected noncompliance to local, state or federal officials because pollution carries public-health consequences.
McGovern described his own work defending the Land and Water Conservation Fund in Congress, saying he offered an amendment when leadership sought to eliminate the program and won bipartisan support to preserve its funding. He repeatedly urged students to translate concern into activism — contacting officials, attending town halls and sharing research — and invited them to follow up with his office for reports and studies.
He closed by urging students to stay involved. "The world will not get better on its own," he said, and encouraged them to use civic power to press for change.
The visiting delegation presented the class with pocket Constitutions before the session ended.
