2024_Annual

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Amy Lambert

Co-chair, Education, Communication and Outreach Working Group

Maryland Commission on Climate Change Releases 2024 Annual Report with Recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly

December 16, 2024 - The Maryland Commission on Climate Change (MCCC) issued its 2024 Annual Report, featuring a comprehensive set of recommendations for Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly. These recommendations, finalized at the Commission's public meeting on December 12, 2024, are designed to guide state agency leaders, elected officials, legislators, and other stakeholders in achieving Maryland’s ambitious climate goals.

The final 29-page report outlines strategies to pursue Maryland’s climate goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2031 and reaching "net zero" emissions by 2045, as mandated in the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022. The priorities outlined in this report include strategies to generate revenue to support meeting the State’s climate goals as well as opportunities for grid reliability, community resilience, and environmental education.

Maryland leads the nation in greenhouse gas emissions reductions, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 36% between 2005 and 2022 and by 42% per capita over a 17-year-period, according to the report released in November by Environment America Research & Policy Center. This achievement underscores Maryland's commitment to environmental stewardship and its role as a national leader in climate action.

“We have made tremendous progress toward combating climate change in Maryland, but we know we have a lot more to do,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain, commission chair. “Because of the hard work of this commission's members and working groups, we are on a steady path towards a bright future and healthier communities.”

"The MCCC's 2024 Annual Report presents recommendations strongly supported by commissioners with informed and diverse viewpoints,” said MCCC Co-chair and Executive Director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters Kim Coble. “If implemented, these recommendations will allow Maryland to continue to make progress towards our climate and equity goals."

The MCCC’s diverse membership includes representatives from state agencies and the legislature, local government, business, environmental non-profit organizations, organized labor, philanthropic interests, and the state university system.

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About the Maryland Commission on Climate Change

The Commission is charged with advising the governor and General Assembly on ways to mitigate the causes of, prepare for, and adapt to the consequences of climate change while maintaining and strengthening Maryland’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan and deliberating science-based, equitable recommendations to combat the impacts of climate change on the state. For more information, visit mde.maryland.gov/MCCC