Addressing Climate Change for Both the Present and Future

Climate change will have significant social and economic impacts globally, nationally, and in the state of Maryland and we have the opportunity and responsibility to address it. Climate change consequences including rising sea levels, increasing temperatures, as well as more frequent and intense natural catastrophes. These are likely to damage critical infrastructure, lower workforce performance, and impede economic growth. Unless this issue is addressed promptly both by global changes that mitigate the impacts of climate change and through regional policies to adapt to its effects, climate change threatens to wreak havoc on property, resources, and the prosperity of state, national, and global economy both now and going forward.

Maryland’s Eastern Shore communities are particularly threatened by the effects of climate change, but communities across the state will face new challenges as well:

• Maryland boasts a total of 4,000 miles of shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Potomac River. The unique topography of our state makes all Maryland residents, not only those in coastal regions, particularly susceptible to the impacts of rising sea A statewide impact has been the reality as flooding attributed to climate change is not only an issue on the Eastern Shore, but has affected communities across the whole state of Maryland. Over the past few years extreme rain events that can be connected to climate change have destroyed buildings, business, and homes in Ellicott City and the Baltimore region. Much further inland in Frederick flooding caused millions of dollars of damage to MARC rail lines as well as roads, businesses, and homes.[i]
• Flooding is far from the only environmental concern in Maryland. Maryland has the worst air quality on the East Coast so making a shift towards cleaner energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is crucial.[ii] Additionally, low-income residents and people of color bear a disproportionate share of the consequences of the climate crisis, and are overwhelmingly affected by air pollutants and the carbon dioxide emissions driving climate change, so improving our air quality would contribute to making Maryland more equitable as well.
• On Maryland’s Eastern Shore extreme weather and the rising sea levels poses a severe threat to communities. The combined effects of rising seas and shrinking land on the Eastern Shore is expected to get worse going forward, increasing in both its spread and its intensity. Specifically, there are 12 communities on the Eastern Shore that already face frequent flooding as a result of climate change, which is more than any other state except Louisiana. At least 10 percent of the land masses in these communities are flooded more than 25 times per year.[iii] This frequent flooding has affected basic infrastructure like plumbing, causing serious problems for households and businesses. These issues are especially relevant from an equity lens, as the neighborhoods that are most affected are majority Black communities and home to people with low incomes who have fewer resources to make repairs or relocate people of color are of those who are hit hardest. All too often through no fault of their own they lack the necessary resources to adjust to these changes.
• Coastal flooding also threatens industries that are central to the economies of the Eastern Shore. The agriculture industry is threatened by the saltwater that has been making its way into farmland, resulting in soil that is less hospitable and fertile to grow crops. Additionally, the seafood industry is at risk from the rising temperatures and sea levels that lead to the loss of coastal habitats that sustain food sources for many fish and crabs as well as raising the ocean acidity which has made the shellfish population more vulnerable. Likewise, the tourism industry will be affected as rising sea levels erode and even destroy sand beaches, which are a significant source of income for coastal communities.[iv]

Maryland has taken a number of positive steps to reduce carbon emissions in the state and take other steps to address climate change. In the most recent legislative session:

• Consideration of Climate and Labor – this bill was passed in this year’s legislative session and requires the Maryland Public Service Commission, which regulates utility companies, to take into account climate change and greenhouse gas emissions when it evaluates utility plans. This is a start to greater accountability and regulation as it relates to activities that heavily contribute to climate change and is an important step towards a cleaner and more sustainable future.[v]
• Zero–Emission Bus Transition Act – This act mandates that starting in 2023, all contracts for state-purchased buses must be for zero-emission vehicles, eventually leading to a complete transition of the whole bus fleet. These buses will save the state money over time, protect the health of Marylanders, and reduce air pollution. There is strong evidence that exhaust pollution causes long-term damage to lung development in children and by reducing these health risks, health care costs will be reduced as well.[vi]

What else can be done to combat climate change in the state?[vii]

• Immediate Solutions
  • Local governments should take on state infrastructure standards – The state passed a law in 2018 that raised standards of infrastructure projects to ensure that they could withstand climate related flooding
  • Communities on the front lines should be protected – Both state and local policymakers need to be intentional about protecting those who are at the greatest risk (low-income and families of color)
  • Prepare for the worst – climate change comes with uncertainty and there needs to be preparation for that at both the state and local level
• Transitioning to a sustainable economy
  • Energy transition – The state should adopt aggressive goals concerning renewable energy generation and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of state government
  • Going beyond electricity generation – Putting greater focus on public transit will enable the state to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels after renewable energy generation opportunities are exhausted
  • Linking public investments to high-quality jobs – renewable energy infrastructure projects should include training and worker protections to ensure that these sustainable investments create high-quality jobs
  • Modernized Infrastructure – Repairing aging water and gas systems would provide significant health and safety benefits (as well as benefits in cost, energy, and emissions). This change is especially necessary considering the reality that there have been a number of explosions in homes in Maryland communities due to aging pipelines

How is climate change currently affecting your community? How could state or local investment help improve conditions today or protect your community from

[i] Hutton, Ellen, “Recent Floods Highlight the Importance of Infrastructure Investment and Smart Growth in Maryland,” Maryland Center on Economic Policy, June 2018, http://www.mdeconomy.org/recent-floods-highlight-the-importance-of-infrastructure-investment-and-smart-growth-in-maryland/

[ii] “MARYLAND’S AIR: STILL AT RISK,” Sierra Club, https://content.sierraclub.org/creative-archive/sites/content.sierraclub.org.creative-archive/files/pdfs/1079-MD-AirPollution-Fact_02_low.pdf

[iii] Erika Spanger-Siegfried, Kristina Dahl, Astrid Caldas, Shana Udvardy, Rachel Cleetus, Pamela Worth, and Nicole Hernandez Hammer, “When Rising Seas Hit Home: Hard Choices Ahead for Hundreds of US Coastal Communities,” Union of Concerned Scientists, 2017, https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-full-report.pdf

[iv] “What Climate Change Means for Maryland,” Environmental Protection Agency, 2016, https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-md.pdf

[v] Condon, Christine, “10 climate bills to watch in the Maryland General Assembly this session”, The Baltimore Sun, March 2021, https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/environment/bs-md-climate-legislation-roundup-general-assembly-2021-20210309-l3csiljkzbgozdsr7f7mcoowa4-story.html

[vi] Palencia-Calvo, Ramon, “Opinion: Pass the Zero-Emission Bus Transition Act” Maryland Matters, April 2021, https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/04/11/opinion-pass-the-zero-emission-bus-transition-act/

[vii] All suggestions are from “Sustaining Strong Communities on Maryland’s Eastern Shore – facing the Climate Change Present,” Maryland Center on Economic Policy, http://www.mdeconomy.org/es-climate-change/#_edn6