By Jeremy Fox – The Town – January 4, 2012

Some scientists believe climate change could cause Boston Harbor to overflow its banks and return parts of the city to the marshland it once was, but local activists hope an educated public can reduce the impact of rising sea levels and help protect vital resources and communities. The issue is particularly pressing in East Boston now, given the proposalsoutlined by Mayor Thomas M. Menino last month that would encourage development along the neighborhood’s waterfront, an area that could one day be fully submerged beneath Boston Harbor. In Menino’s annual speech before the Boston Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 6, he cited five waterfront projects that stalled due to financing problems or other difficulties but that he hopes can be jumpstarted by municipal investments in the waterfront. In a December phone interview, community activist Neenah Estrella-Luna cautioned that any new waterfront development has to be done with foresight. “One of my biggest concerns is how are they taking into account climate change in all of these waterfront development projects,” she said. For full article, click here.