Boston-area mayors unite to fight climate change

Mayor Martin J. Walsh and other Greater Boston mayors joined together Wednesday to formalize their commitment to tackle climate change.

Walsh said dense coastal communities in Eastern Massachusetts are highly vulnerable, and he urged a coordinated approach to addressing rising sea levels, storm surges, and other extreme weather.

“This conversation means more right now than ever. We can work together in a lot of different ways,’’ Walsh said at a climate change summit in Dorchester.

Fourteen mayors from nearby cities and towns signed Walsh’s Metro Boston Climate Prepared Commitment, agreeing to share information, assessments, and plans. The mayors, some of whom attended the summit, also agreed to identify vulnerabilities in their communities, integrate their policies, and develop a coordinated plan so that they will be better prepared.

A task force, established by Walsh, will meet every two months to oversee the effort, look at best practices, and make policy recommendations, officials said.

The summit was held at the University of Massachusetts Boston, with specialists from the city, state, and academia stressing the need for a better partnership to address climate change. Speakers agreed that a united front is needed to address the impact of climate change on public transit, low-income communities, and neighborhoods near the coast.

“We are here to roll up our sleeves and do what we must still do,’’ Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said.