Mayor Marty Walsh is bringing some of Boston's climate solutions to the world stage at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. WGBH Morning Edition Host Joe Mathieu spoke with Walsh to discuss which initiatives he's sharing with his colleagues. The transcript below has been edited for clarity.
Joe Mathieu: What was important enough to draw you to this event — to have you cross an ocean to be there?
Mayor Marty Walsh: Well, C40 is a collection of cities that's dedicated to fighting climate change. I was elected, along with Eric Garcetti, as the co-chairs to represent the United States in the C40. C40 really kind of really got its formation after President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord. It was in existence prior to that, but it kind of took off after that as an opportunity for cities to be able to have conversations on a world stage regarding climate change and how it affects cities around the world, and how cities around the world are working to push back not just climate change, but to come up with resilient ways of dealing with the issues.
Mathieu: I know you're sharing some ideas about shoreline resiliency. I saw even Martin's Park was one of those agenda items. I wonder how that's being received and what else you're learning from other mayors.
Walsh: Resilient Boston Harbor is being received really well here. We have a lot of coastal cities from around the world that are here, and they're very interested in how we're doing the resiliency and building up protections around the harbor. I obviously featured Martin's Park as one of the resilient projects and people were excited about it. I talked about how we're going to be creating 70 acres of new park lands on the waterfront. I spoke about how, over the last four decades, we've built a lot of buildings on the harbor itself, and how this plan can reconnect people back to the harbor. So cities around the world and cities around the country, including in Hawaii, have been excited to hear about that plan. So that's something that we're working on.
Mathieu: I keep hearing that the Danes are the happiest people on earth. Are they right?
Walsh: Yeah, they're very happy here. They're visibly fit because I don't think I've seen more people riding bikes and running in my entire life, except maybe the Boston Marathon. ... It's an interesting [and] unique place. A lot more laid back; nobody seems stressed out like we do at home. The tension is definitely down here, and when you're crossing the street, the cars actually wave you on to go in front of you. A different experience than what we experience at home all the time, which is kind of funny.
