But he said there's an underlining economic framework needed to save the environment, and touted carbon tax.

"The true costs are not reflected in the costs that come to the market," he said. "We have to change that, and that's why we need to introduce a carbon pricing dividend."

If progress is to be made, Buttigieg said, corporations would have to be reined in.

"Let's recognize that corporations will do as much as the system lets them, to maximize shareholder value," Buttigieg said. "So, what are the left and right boundaries that we the people create through our democratic process? What we're seeing right now is that those boundaries haven't been set in a way that's sustainable."

Buttigieg said fighting climate change could be good for U.S. status abroad, as well as for unity at home.

"At a moment when U.S. credibility is hanging by a thread, here's an opportunity for us to be leading the world on doing something about something the world knows is very important," Buttigieg said. "In other words, if there was such a thing as global climate diplomacy being practiced by the United States, that would be good for our credibility, but it is also the kind of thing we could unite on as a country, as we go out into the international field, and it would have appeal across partisan divides right here at home."

WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers (@_madisonrogers) reports