​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The statewide 
2024 Climate Teach-In 
during Maryland Climate Education Week April 1-7 was a huge success! 



Maryland Commission on Climate Change Quarterly Meetings​
Dates and times are subject to changes. All meetings are open to Marylanders.

2024 Commission Meetings

April 23, 2024, 10 AM-12 PM
July 26, 10-11:30 AM​
September 30, 2024, 1-3 PM
October 15, 2024, 10 AM-12 PM
November 19, 2024, 1-3 PM

Meetings are video recorded and can be found on the Commission's YouTube channel.​



Commission leaders hosted Commission Talk: Recommendations for Climate Action on ​December 15, 2022. Watch the recorded webinar​ or view the slides.​ 


The Education, Communication and Outreach Working Group is proud to​ present Dr. J​ohn Kotcher, of the Climate Change Communication Center, George Mason University.  Listen to his fascinating Commission talk. ​ 


Commission leaders hosted Commission Talk: The Cli​mate Solutions Now Act​​, ​a webinar on June 23, 2022.  Watch the recorded webinar​ or view the slides​​​​​​​​​​

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Climate Change Fact Sheets

Available in 2 languages:

Please choose English or Spanish.

Climate Change fact Sheet in English image link 


















Maryland Commission on Climate Change

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During its 2015 session, the Maryland General Assembly codified the Maryland  Commission o​n Climate Change (Md. Environment Code Ann. § 2-1302​), officially charging the Commission with advising the Governo​r an​d General Assembly "on ways to mitigate the causes of,  ​p​repare for, and adapt to the consequences of climate change." The MCCC is chaired by t​he Marylan​d Department of the Environment Secretar​y or desi​gn​ee and consists of members re​presenting state agencies and th​e legislature, local gov​ernm​ent, business, environmental non-pro​fit organizations, organized labor, philant​hropic interests, and the State University system.​​​

In mak​ing its mo​st recent recommendations to the state, the Commission conducted an extensive rev​iew of the science, including the influential conclusions of​ the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Clim​ate Change (IPCC). The Co​m​mission recommended that the state's previous 40% Greenhouse Gas emissions reduction target by 2030 be adjusted to at least 50% to match the science and concluded that although a 50% target was ambitious, there were possible pathways to the goal if extremely extensive changes were ma​de in state and federal policies; c​hanges that would clearly impact all citizens daily.

Under the Climate Solutions Now Act​ (CSNA) that was ​passed into law in 2022, an even more ambitious emissions reduction target has been established at 60%. The Commission is now charged with developing proposals that allow the state to reach that target by 2031, and “net zero" by 2045.  The CSNA is arguably the most ambitious climate change law adopted by any state in the country. ​Since any proposals are likely to p​rovide a cumulative, rather than immediate, impact on emissions, the changes will need to be implemented well before the target deadlines.

Under the new Act, the Commission must create several new reports and add four new working groups with an extensive list of required representatives to be appointed. The Commission currently has four working groups. A Greenhouse Gas Mitigation working group develops greenhouse gas reduction recommendations. The Adaptation and Response (Resilience) working group develops recommendations for dealing with the impacts of climate change. The Scientific and Technical working group follows the latest science to support the Commission's recommendations, and the Education, Communication and Outreach working group is the public affairs arm of the Commission.

Each of the four new working groups is required to have members of the Senate and House, cabinet-level officers (or their designees) as well as numerous representatives of industry and environmental groups.​ Combined, the new working groups add 66 appointed positions to the 85 current positions in the pre-existing groups.

The Four new working groups the Climate Solutions Now Act added are:

(1)  Just Transition Employment and Retraining Working Group (JWTG)

The Just Transition group will focus on transitioning workers in fossil fuel industries to employment opportunities in a clean energy economy. Most of the members will be appointed from labor organizations or impacted industries.

(2)  Energy Industry Revitalization

The Energy Industry Revitalization group will focus on the possible impacts to small businesses and potential facility closures as the result of climate change policies.

(3)
  Energy Resilience and Efficiency

 The Energy Resilience group will primarily be composed of representatives of electric energy companies and will focus on ​energy infrastructure improvements, transmission efficiency and battery backups.

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4)  Solar Photovoltaic Systems Recovery, Reuse and Recycling 

The Photovoltaic Systems working group will focus on options for recycling or reusing solar panels.


The
Maryland Department of the Environment hosts the Commission meetings at least four times per year, with additional meetings called by the Chair as needed. Meetings are held virtually and a portion of each is set aside for public comment. Below are the ​meeting materials.  Check the Commission's calendar on the right for meeting times, dates, and links for Commission and working group meeting announcements.  ​​​


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Meeting Materials  ​



  
expand Meeting Date : 9/30/2024 ‎(5)
expand Meeting Date : 7/23/2024 ‎(4)
expand Meeting Date : 4/23/2024 ‎(6)
expand Meeting Date : 11/16/2023 ‎(3)
Archived meeting materials are here.​                ​

​​​​​Upcoming Meetings & Events​

Dates and times are subject to changes. ​​Ma​rylanders are invited to attend and time is set aside at all meetings for public comments.

  • Just Transition Working Group (JTWG)
  • Mitigation Working Group (MWG)​
  • ​Maryland Commission on Climate Change (MCCC)​
    • September 30, 1 pm - 3 pm
  • Maryland Commission on Climate Change (MCCC)
  • Energy Industry and Revitalization Working Group (EIRWG)
  • Education, Communication & Outreach Working Group (ECO)​
  • Scientific and Technical Working Group(STWG)


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