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Maine Gov. John Baldacci has asked for a Maine Climate Change Assessment from scientists at the University of Maine. Researchers in UMaine’s Climate Change Institute will lead the study.
“We are pleased to have this assignment from the Governor, and we feel that it’s very appropriate in our role as a land and sea grant campus,” George Jacobson of the Climate Change Institute said.
Jacobson said that the climate in places like Maine will be different in the future than what they have been in the recent past.
“The University of Maine Climate Change Institute is conducting some of the most valuable research on the impact of climate change in our ecosystem and society,” Gov. John Baldacci said. “Having one of the premier global warming research institutions in Maine provides a great opportunity for state policymakers to make informed decisions on the needs our state will face now and into the future as we deal with challenges and opportunities presented with climate change,”
In his Nov. 8 letter, Baldacci requested what he would like to see in the final report. These requests include: identification of the potential climate scenarios, inventories of the critical impacts, adaptations and opportunities represented by these scenarios and research and assessment needs. He also requested a framework to continue ongoing dialogue for science to inform policy on issues of our chemical and physical climate in Maine.
Researchers plan to analyze the scientific, economic and social challenges and possible solutions for the state.
“The climate of the twenty-first century will be quite different from that of the last century,” Fernandez said. “It will continue to get warmer.”
Fernandez said that it is also predicted that Maine will be slightly wetter but with greater frequency of droughts in the summer.
“There is no scientific disagreement that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations as well as other greenhouse gases have increased significantly and will continue to do so,” Fernandez said. “It is increasingly important to manage and plan with these realities in mind.”
Through this assessment, researchers will make recommendations for how the state might adapt to these changes and look for economic opportunities that might come along because Maine is thinking about its climate and how it might affect its natural system.
“We will try and make recommendations in places where we see major gaps in our knowledge and point out some areas where some important research may be done focused on Maine, in an area that hasn’t been done yet,” Jacobson said.
The final assessment, which the university’s scientists hope will lead to increased public discourse on issues related to climate change and Maine’s future, is due to the Governor in Nov. 2008.
The University established the Climate Change Institute in 1972. The university administration recognized understanding recent Earth history might be relevant for Maine’s future and would be a good area for a concentration of a new research institute.
The team of scientists participating in the UMaine assessment will also include members of other UMaine research units with relevant expertise.
“The assessment will emerge from a cross-campus dialogue so defining in detail what it will be at this point would be premature,” Ivan Fernandez, professor of soil science, said. “It will likely be an initial assessment of the critical issues for Maine people to consider across various natural resources, economic and policy sectors.”
