The Will Brownsberger Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Where Are We With Climate Change, Mitigation, and Resilience? (A Conversation With Cabell Eames and Peter Frumhoff) Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

This episode includes two guests, Peter Frumhoff, a climate scientist and ecologist, and Cabell Eames, an environmental policy advocate and strategist. The topic for discussion this time is around climate change, the reality of where we sit, and the efforts that need to be done with both climate mitigation and climate resilience.

They unpack the hard math of net zero, the global emissions split between developed and developing nations, and why warming will continue for decades even as cleaner tech scales. The conversation leads to a case for a both-and strategy: aggressive mitigation and urgent, practical resilience that protects people where they live.
For more information on Will and to share your thoughts, please head over to willbrownsberger.com.

Find more information about Cabell and her work at castlingstrategies.com.

Find more information about Peter and his work at woodwellclimate.org/staff/peter-frumhoff/.

Rethinking Drug Policy, Treatment, and the Criminal Justice System Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Today's episode focuses on the evolution and current conversation around drug policy in Massachusetts.

For more information and to share your thoughts, please head over to willbrownsberger.com.

Why This Census is Different: Stories From Immigrant Community Leaders and the Work Ahead for the 2030 Census Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

Today's episode focuses on the upcoming 2030 census and the factors playing into how this cycle could look different from previous ones while still facing the usual challenges.

Listen to hear:

-Stories from immigrant community leaders of undercounts, impacts of federal policy changes, and declining trust with government

-Why the census matters, from money to representation

-The practical challenges of building address lists, a well planned and staffed outreach strategy, and other considerations

-Why the efforts for the 2030 census are starting now and the next steps

For more information and to share your thoughts, please head over to willbrownsberger.com.

The State of Health Care in Massachusetts: A Conversation With Senator Cindy Friedman Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Will invites Cindy Friedman (Massachusetts State Senator and Senate Chair of the Committee on Health Care Financing) on the podcast to discuss the state of health care in Massachusetts from the need to shift the focus to patients, getting a handle on the health care assets in the state, what's currently driving costs, the new player of private equity in health care, and the effect federal changes will have going forward.

For more information on Will and to share your thoughts, please head over to willbrownsberger.com. Find more information about Cindy at cindyfriedman.org.

Climate Change in Massachusetts: A Conversation with Senator Mike Barrett Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Will invites Mike Barrett (Massachusetts Senate Chair of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy) on the podcast to discuss Massachusetts' evolving approach to climate policy, starting with the earlier environmental movement and the 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act, which leads to conversation on wind, solar, the electrical grid, the transportation and building sectors, and how these all tie into Massachusetts' efforts on climate moving forward.

For more information on Will and to share your thoughts, please head over to willbrownsberger.com. Find more information about Mike and his work at senatormikebarrett.com.

The Continuing Conversation on Housing in Massachusetts Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

Today's episode is a second conversation on housing in Massachusetts. In this episode, we talk about recent shifts in households by income levels and gentrification. We dig into some space and infrastructure considerations and limitations. We talk about how people are planning regionally and the uniqueness of that in Massachusetts. We talk about how different types of government in different municipalities approach the issue differently. We talk about abundance and why Senator Brownsberger is a fan of the term. And then we touch on some of the federal impacts, emergency housing programs, possible 40B updates, and parking minimums.

For more information and to share your thoughts, please head over to willbrownsberger.com.

Biographic Interview With Senator Will Brownsberger Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

This is a rebroadcast of an interview with Senator Will Brownsberger on the Little Local Conversations podcast. Listen in to hear about his career in criminal justice (and how his views evolved over the years), his political journey from municipal leadership to the state level, his takes on transparency in government, transportation, the reality of the battle with climate change, housing, and more.

For more information and to share your thoughts, please head over to willbrownsberger.com.

How Do We Address the Housing Crisis in Massachusetts? Aug 01, 2025

Show notes

Today's topic is housing in Massachusetts. In this conversation, Senator Brownsberger explains how the issue is at the top of the list of concerns for him and his colleagues, as it's the single biggest part of the affordability squeeze that people are feeling. We discuss what the state is doing to help people in different income brackets, the legislation passed, such as the Affordable Homes Act and the MBTA communities law, and what those are doing. We talk about how experts believe we should be producing 20,000 housing units a year, but we're not hitting that number, and how loosening regulations might help increase production to help reach those goals. We dive into much more, but we start the conversation with Senator Brownsberger explaining how housing is the biggest problem everyone is trying to crack and his personal journey to realizing how important the issue really is.

For more information and to share your thoughts, please head over to willbrownsberger.com.

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