Family on boardwalk Join today and get outside at one of our 60+ wildlife sanctuaries.
Family on boardwalk Join today and get outside at one of our 60+ wildlife sanctuaries.
Young adults standing with signs demanding action on climate change

Fight Climate Change

Climate change threatens every aspect of Mass Audubon’s mission: the land we steward, the plants and animals we treasure, and the communities we serve. Conservation organizations like Mass Audubon must take immediate action to support a future in which people and wildlife can thrive. At Mass Audubon, we're utilizing the values of nature to inspire and empower the people of Massachusetts to take action.

Why Fighting Climate Change Matters

The science is clear: our planet is changing rapidly, and it threatens the stability of our habitats and ecosystems. We're witnessing extreme weather, shifting animal migrations, more species at risk of extinction, and more.

As an environmental organization fueled by a shared love and appreciation for nature, we understand the stakes are high. To protect the lands, wildlife, and communities we care for, we must prioritize the impacts of climate change in our work.

What We're Doing to Fight Climate Change

Mass Audubon is one of the leading environmental nonprofit organizations specializing in nature-based climate solutions. Nature-based climate solutions use the power of nature to:

  • Reduce flooding and extreme heat
  • Limit the release of more greenhouse gases
  • Store carbon naturally

By supporting nature-based solutions, we can address climate change while continuing our long-standing mission to protect air, water, and wildlife habitat.

We’re also helping advance our goals at the grassroots level. Mass Audubon empowers the people of Massachusetts to advocate for policies that protect nature and fight climate change. By sharing our research and resources, we can make a larger impact together.

Mass Audubon sign at March for Science Boston

Advocating for Change

Our policy priorities focus on strengthening the natural environment, benefiting people and wildlife.

2019 Youth Climate Strike in front of MA State House

Climate and Nature Champions

Join a grassroots network of like-minded individuals who advocate for Mass Audubon’s climate and nature policy goals.

Students speaking at Arcadia's Youth Climate Summit © Phil Doyle

Youth Climate Leadership Program

This youth-led, action-oriented program educates young people on equitable climate solutions and how to implement them.

Planned community designed with green, sustainable LID techniques

Strengthening Communities

Incorporate nature-based climate solutions by utilizing Mass Audubon’s Climate Resilient Communities tools and resources.

Long grass next to a channel of water.
Rough Meadows sanctuary © Alan B Ward

Fostering Resilient Lands

Resilient landscapes are large, connected lands that provide unique, long-term benefits for people and planet. 

Electric vehicle (EV) charging station at a Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuary

Leading By Example

Mass Audubon has reduced its annual carbon footprint by almost 50% since 2003 and we're sharing what we've learned.

Our Impact

Thanks to our members, supporters, and partners, we're making incredible progress in adapting to and reducing the effects of climate change.

  • 60

    Legislators lobbied by our Policy & Advocacy team for nature-based climate solutions

  • 1,336

    Students around the state that participated in a Youth Climate Summit annually

  • 3,000

    Emails from Mass Audubon constituents to legislators or state officials demanding action on climate change

Expanding Our Impact

Mass Audubon plans to fully comply with overarching Massachusetts carbon emission goals. In addition, we’re mobilizing our members by training adults, college students, and youth to become champions for climate and conservations policies. Let’s work together to advance policies that fight climate change through nature-based solutions, for today and for future generations. 
 

Featured Content

  • Group walking past shovels, hard hats, and solar panels
    Boston Nature Center, Mattapan

    Stressed About Climate? Here's How to Cope

    For many of us who care deeply about the health of our planet, we're experiencing climate anxiety or climate grief.

  • Mother and Son on Boardwalk

    How to Talk to Children About Climate Change

    Talking about climate change empowers us to generate hope and commitment for a brighter future.

  • Downed trees crossing a path near the office
    Storm damage at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox

    Extreme Weather Linked to Climate Change Hits Home

    When staff arrived for work at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox on the morning of July 28, 2021, a 40-foot spruce lay across the sanctuary entrance, its upper branches poking through a broken window of the office building.

  • A Monarch butterfly rests amid goldenrod at Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary.

    Wachusett Meadow, Princeton, MA © Mathew Boisvert

    Biodiversity Loss & Climate Change: Twin Challenges Defining Our Future

    The impacts of climate change and the loss of the planet's rich biological diversity are becoming all too evident.

  • Boston skyline from above
    Boston skyline © Yu-Jen Shih/Flickr CC

    Summer in the City: The Problem of Urban Heat Islands

    Have you ever noticed that summer in the city can get pretty hot—hotter even than the surrounding suburbs and more rural areas?

  • State house in the background with a sign that says, "Mass Audubon, Science: It's in our Nature"

    A Momentous Week in Climate History

    Alongside the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) being signed into law, on Beacon Hill, our teams have been working on a number of climate-related policies, including the Economic Development Bill, a State Climate Bill, and the Public Lands Preservation Act. 

  • Portrait of Stephanie Kane outdoors wearing a Mass Audubon hat
    Stephanie Kane

    In Your Words: Stephanie Kane

    As an individual, I had taken steps to reduce my own environmental impact. However, I wanted to do more, because we need to do more.

  • Two ground solar panels in a tall grassy cleaning, surrounded by trees with green, yellow, and orange fall foliage.
    Pleasant Valley, Lenox

    Growing Solar, Protecting Nature

    Mass Audubon teamed up with Harvard Forest to analyze how Massachusetts can build all the solar energy we need while protecting the nature that we have.

  • Buildings covered in snow behind a snowy field

    A Greener Way to Heat Your Home

    For decades, many homes relied on nonrenewable energy sources for heat, like coal and fossil fuels, or inefficient electrical systems. With recent technological advances, electric heat pumps have evolved to be an effective and affordable way to green your winter warm-up.  

  • Planting a tree as part of a floodplain forest restoration project at Arcadia
    Planting trees to restore floodplain forest

    Planting a Forest with the Climate in Mind

    More than 50 volunteers turned out in the last days of October 2020 to help restore a floodplain forest at Arcadia. Now, a second round of funding will expand the restoration effort to an additional 5 acres.

  • Ollie Perrault stands in the middle of a basketball court with a blue shirt and patterned jeans while waving and smiling at the camera. Standing next to her is Governor-elect Maura Healey smiling in a black blazer and black pants.
    Ollie Perrault with Governor-elect Maura Healey © Boston Celtics

    Ollie Perrault: A Hero Among Us

    15-year-old Mass Audubon Youth Climate Leader, Ollie Perrault, was given the Heroes Among Us Award by Governor-elect Maura Healey.

  • Buds, Leaves, and Global Warming

    The Buds, Leaves, and Global Warming community science project studies the effects of climate change on the trees at our wildlife sanctuaries.

Latest News

See all news
State house in the background with a sign that says, "Mass Audubon, Science: It's in our Nature"
Press Release September 06, 2024

Statement in response to Gov. Healey’s announcement of Mass. offshore wind procurement

Learn More
Students taking observations on grasses in a salt marsh
News August 21, 2024

Students Study the Effects of Climate Change on North Shore Salt Marshes

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A Mass Audubon sign held in front of the state house dome
Press Release August 01, 2024

Mass Audubon's Statement on Failed Passage of Climate Bill

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Three young adults kneeling on a boardwalk
Broadmoor

Take Action

We need your curiosity, commitment, and passion to ensure that our lands become more resilient, that more people than ever experience the magic of nature, and that we fight climate change—now and in the future.

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Make a lasting impact for people and wildlife.

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Advocate

Help bring about nature-based climate solutions.

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