​​​“This administration is taking unprecedented action to address climate change and our state agencies will lead the way,” said Governor Wes Moore. “Achieving more ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals is a means to promote the health and wellness of Marylanders not only for tomorrow, but for generations to come.”​​​

Governor Moore spoke at EPA's announcement 5.11.23 ​for Proposed Power Plant Regulations to Tackle the Climate Crisis and Protect Public Health. "This is a day that is historic. It's the work of partnerships - universities, state and federal government, the private sector, students, ​nonprofits, activists, everyone....accountability partnerships....that's what change looks like; that's what progress looks like." 
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Clean energy will not just be a part of our economy. Clean energy will define our economy in Maryland.”​
             - Governor Wes Moore​
“Maryland steel led the American economy in the 20th century,” Governor Wes Moore said. “I want Maryland Wind to lead the American economy in the 21st century.”

If the target goal of 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind power is reached, that would be enough juice​ for three million homes.

Energy Tax Credits and Rebates​
Find out which incentives​ are available to help you take control of your energy costs, and make your home safer and more comfortable.  ​

On March 13th, at the Maryland Department of the Environment, Gov. Wes Moore announced Maryland’s adoption of the multi-state Advanced Clean Cars II rule. It requires manufacturers to continuously increase the share of electric vehicles they sell, reaching 100% of sales by model year 2035.

“Today, we’re talking about a major transformation that is going to define this administration—and that’s how we turn Maryland from a state powered by oil and gas to a state powered by clean energy,” said Governor Moore. “I am confident that the state of Maryland can and will lead the clean energy revolution.”

​​Sec. Serena McIlwain speaking​ at the Governor's announcement at MDE. Watch the recording. ​​


How much money can you get with the Inflati​on Reduction Act?

Secretary Serena McIlwain leads MDE panel in testimony ​on 1.26.23 before the House Environment and Transportation Committee in Annapolis.

The Climate Solutions Now Act (CSNA) was passed into law in 2022.  ​Commission leaders hosted Commission Talk: The Climate Solutions Now Act​​

Climate Change Community GIF by The Pew Charitable Trusts​​



Maryland Matters Guest Commentary by Maryland People's Counsel David Lapp, on Debunking Electrification Myths 

​​

Green Vehi​cle ​Guide 
EPA's Complete Guide to Electric Vehicles, including Myth Busting.

 

Locate an EV charging station:​ 

https://afdc.energy.gov/stations​


Make the switch to electric and get charged about driving! ​marylandev.org

Sierra Club has written a guide to the various types of EVs.  


Plug-in America offers EV 101 as well as info about government incentives.​





New! DOE Launches $10 Million Prize to Accelerate Community Solar in Underrepresented Communities​​

New! Communities can find climate data, funding sources, at this White House portal​.

​EPA Region III Administrator Adam Ortiz Talks Environmental Justice and Climate Change

​Check out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) "Sea to Sky: Education Resource Database."

NASA offers an extensive collection of global warming resources​ for media, educators, weathercasters, and public speakers.

The Security and Sustainability Forum's webinar library is organized by nine subject tracks. 


The EPA hosts a website all about Greenhouse Gas and other harmful emissions. 


Find 200+ recordings in the Security and Sustainability Forum's Webinar Library, organized into nine learning tracks.​

The World Resources Institute  (WRI) experts are tracking COP27  progress. COP27 was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in the fall of 2022. Explore WRI's Resource Hub for the latest news, articles, events, and more from COP 27.


A WRI Report Shows Maryland Ranks #1​ among states in "Reducing Emissions while Expanding the Economy."


Sierra Club reminds Marylanders that it is best to choose a tree to plant that is native to our area. Consider an oak, wild black cherry, birch, willow, or serviceberry, which like oaks are hosts to many insects that birds need to feed their young and our existentially important pollinators. If you don’t have room for a tree, plant native shrubs and other native plants (even in containers). Find native plant information at MD Native Plant Society. 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) latest report​ summary ​for policy makers and Glossary of Terms​​

What does it mean to get to "net-zero" emissions?  ​

Maryland's current Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act (GGRA) Plan is available here​​​

Maryland Surpas​ses 2020 Greenhouse Gas E​missions Reduction Goal. Read the news release on the 2030 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Progress Report

Marylanders, know your flood risk

Use NOAA's interactive Tides and Currents map​ to access your local water levels, tide, and current predictions.​

​​Read Maryland's Ocean Acidification (OA) Action Plan​ to better understand and combat this impact of climate chang​e.

Learn more about the role of healthy habitat in building coastal resilience.​​

Explore an energy topic as it relates to Climate Change in the
Energy 101 series by the University of Maryland Extension.


Discover Fifteen Ways to Save Energyin Your Home.​

Maryland is a member of the U.S. Climate Alliance, and ​a member of the  Sustainable States Network.

(visit Sustainable Maryland), and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Learn how Climate Change adversely impacts human health -
a videoby the Centers for Disease Control. ​


Yale Center for Climate Communications offers
materials for educators Grades 6-12.​

Calculate your Carbon Footprint​ courtesy ​of the Nature Conservancy. Explore the many issues of Climate Change. Try the EPA's tool to see how you can change everyday behavior to reduce carbon emissions. It all adds up!   

Chesapeake Behavior Change helps individuals and organizations promote behaviors that help restore the Bay. ​
​​
The Maryland Energy Administration offers several funding programs​ to help
wit​h energy reduction, renewable energy, climate action and green jobs​. 



ClimateNow.org offers a series of free videos they call "A Climate Primer."​

ClimateCentral.org ​is an independent​ organization of leading scientists and journalists researching and reporting the facts about our changing climate and its impact on the public. 



United Nations: What is Climate Change?




Climate Change Program Communications Contact:

susan.casey1@maryland.gov ​



​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​



Climate Change Program

​MDE's Climate Change Program oversees the development and implementation of the state's plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conducts the state's greenhouse gas emissions inventory. The staff support the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, ​the Carbon Markets and Trees Commission, ​the Buildings Energy Transition Task Force, the Building Energy Performance Regulations (BEPS) process, and they manage Maryland's membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the U.S. Climate Alliance. This program also ensures the state complies with climate change-related state and federal laws. 

Maryland has set the most aggressive GHG emissions reduction goals in the nation. Under the Climate Solutions Now Act (CSNA)​ ​​of 2022, a new target has been established at 60% (over the 2006 level) by 2031 and net-zero emissions by 2045. MDE currently is working on a conceptual road map due by the end of June 2023. The final plan is ​due at the end of the year. 

MDE is leading the effort, with other state agencies and technical assistance partners, to develop pathways to reach Maryland's GHG reduction goals. We thank the stakeholders who were able to provide early input on new policies the state should consider.

MDE will conduct public outreach sessions around the state this summer and fall and a webinar. At that time, we will ask Marylanders for mitigation ideas that will inform our decisions on the policies to include in Maryland’s GHG Reduction Plan, which will be published in December.

​The dates and locations will be announced on this webpage. 

Quest​ions to consider:

1. What new policy you would like the state to consider to achieve its GHG reduction goals?
     a. What are the costs and benefits of implementing the policy?
     b. How does the policy address equity, especially for low-income and historically disadvantaged Marylanders?
     c. Would the policy create new jobs or have other workforce impacts?  

2. Other than new policies, what do you think the state should consider when developing its GHG Reduction Plan?

Temperature change in Maryland since 1895​​

Click on the chart for more information.​

Courtesy of Professor Ed Hawkins, University of Reading


The main cause of climate change is human activities, particularly the emission of greenhouse ​gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. , The Maryland Department of the Environment's (MDE) Climate Change Program is leading the state's efforts to reduce GHG emissions while creating jobs and benefiting the economy as required by state law. Although many initiatives throughout the State contribute to these efforts, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and the​ Commission on Climate Change​ are key efforts by MDE, each of which can be explored further by following the navigational links on top, left-hand side of this page. 


In November 2
018, a federal report ​advised that "climate change is affecting the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, and human health and welfare across the U.S. and its territories."  And just this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)  is warning that the world has no more than a year or two to see meaningful improvement in GHG emissions to avoid more drastic impacts of climate change. 


Wi​th 3,100 miles of shoreline, Maryland i
s the fourth most vulnerable state to suffer the effects of sea-level rise associated with climate change. Rising sea levels and increased storm intensity could have devastating and far-reaching impacts on the Atlantic coast and the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem that affect the environmental, recreational, and economic benefits enjoyed by Marylanders and visitors. Although M​aryland's coastal areas may be considered particularly vulnerable, all areas ​of the state are at risk. In general, climate change alters the severity, frequency, or distribution of existin​g issues that are impacte​d either directly or indirectly by temperature and precipitation. This includes, but is not limited to: ​

  • Impacts on coastal, bay, and inland water quality parameters that may change the viable uses of surface water, such as for irrigation, recreation, or human consumption. MDE's Water and Science Administration's Climate Adaptation Goals and Strategies are available here. ​
  • Human health issues, including those affected by impacts on food and water supply, air quality, and extreme weather events.​
  • A higher probability of negative outcomes for disadvantaged communities and individuals inherently more sensitive or with a reduced adaptive capacity for responding to the impacts of climate change.
  • More frequent disruptions to urban and coastal infrastructure in Maryland caused by extreme weather events and sea-level rise impact the economy of the region by restricting the flow of goods and affecting days worked;
  • Common stressors experienced among ecosystems, agriculture, fisheries, and forests such as those caused by general changes in temperature and precipitation regimes; increased extreme weather events; and increased pressures from weeds, diseases, and pests.
To learn more about climate change and what Maryland is doing to combat it, read the 2030 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan and the progress report. MDE submitted the comprehensive plan to the Governor and the State Legislature on February 19, 202​0, to coincide with the​ U.S.​A's return to the Paris Climate Agreement. MDE is working on finding additional pathways that will help our state reach its new goal of 60% reductions in GHG emissions by 2031 and net zero by 2045, as dictated by the Climate Solutions Act of 2022.  

For the national perspective, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Climate Change in the United States And, for the international perspective, read the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) latest report. ​

​​​​​
This site was created and is ​maintained by susan.casey1@maryland.gov






Human Trafficking GET HELP

National Human Trafficking Hotline - 24/7 Confidential

1-888-373-7888 233733 More Information on human trafficking in Maryland

Customer Service Promise

The State of Maryland pledges to provide constituents, businesses, customers, and stakeholders with friendly and courteous, timely and responsive, accurate and consistent, accessible and convenient, and truthful and transparent services.

Take Our Survey

Help Stop Fraud in State Government

The Maryland General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Audits operates a toll-free fraud hotline to receive allegations of fraud and/or abuse of State government resources. Information reported to the hotline in the past has helped to eliminate certain fraudulent activities and protect State resources.

More Information