"Maryland is less than three-tenths of 1 percent of the U.S. emissions, and the U.S. is not even the largest country in terms of greenhouse gas emissions anymore," said Michael C. Powell, a lawyer and lobbyist representing manufacturers on the issue. "We believe these issues should be addressed on a national level."
The commission said the biggest emissions reductions would come from increased use of renewable energy, cleaner electrical generation, tougher energy efficiency standards and a cap-and-trade plan that would allow some industries to purchase pollution "credits."
Society has incurred "considerable costs," the panel argues, from past decisions that were "not in sync with past and present climate conditions, ... These costs are likely to increase as climate change accelerates." The benefits of warming temperatures are fleeting, the commission said, while "the costs of inaction are likely to stay and increase."
The commission includes 22 Cabinet secretaries, agency heads and mostly Democratic lawmakers. Their scientific working group warned this month that Maryland should expect a 3-degree rise in average annual temperatures by mid-century, or a 9-degree jump in summer temperatures by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed. Sea levels could rise another 1 to 3 feet in this century.
The fastest and cheapest way to cut greenhouse gas emissions would be through energy efficiency and the development of a "clean energy industry," the commission concluded. "By lagging behind other states that are already investing in the fast-growing clean energy industry, Maryland is missing out on huge economic development and growth potential," the commission found.
"It sounds as though this is forward-thinking; it's aggressive and particularly appropriate for a state as vulnerable to climate change as Maryland," said Cindy Schwartz, executive director of the League of Conservation Voters.
The commission also called for new "smart growth" strategies, and revisions to building codes and design standards to reduce coastal development and protect it against damage.
"Two to three feet of sea-level rise would inundate thousands of properties in low-lying areas and expose millions of dollars worth of public infrastructure to the threat of submergence and/or storm surge," the report states. "Over time, state and local government will not be able to afford to assist all in need - the costs will just be too high."
For the full report, go to www.mde.state.md.us/Air/climatechange/in dex.asp.
