Maine

Global climate change poses risks to human health and to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Important economic resources such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and water resources also may be affected. Warmer temperatures, more severe droughts and floods, and sea level rise could have a wide range of impacts. All these stresses can add to existing stresses on resources caused by other influences such as population growth, land-use changes, and pollution.

Climate Change in Maine

Below are some of the potential impacts:

  • Over the last century, the average temperature in Lewiston, Maine, has increased 3.4°F. By 2100 temperatures in Maine could increase by another 4°F (with a range of 2-8°F), slightly less in spring and fall and slightly more in summer and winter.
  • Higher temperatures and increased frequency of heat waves may increase the number of heat-related deaths and the incidence of heat-related illnesses. Maine, with its occasional heat waves, could be susceptible.
  • Warmer temperatures could increase the incidence of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in Maine, because populations of ticks, and their rodent hosts, could increase under warmer temperatures and increased vegetation.
  • Although the extent of forested areas in Maine could change little because of climate change, a warmer climate could change the character of those forests. Maple-dominated hardwood forests could give way to forests dominated by oaks and conifers, species more tolerant of higher temperatures, especially along the coast. This change would diminish the brilliant autumn foliage as the number of maple trees declines.
  • Warmer winters, warmer temperatures, and heavy precipitation also can increase harmful algal blooms, that is, red tides; reduce water quality; and increase outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis and giardia. In addition, warmer seas could contribute to the intensity, duration, and extent of harmful algal blooms in the coastal waters of Maine. These blooms damage habitat and shellfish nurseries and can be toxic to humans.
  • At Rockland, sea level already is rising by 3.9 inches per century, and it is likely to rise another 14 inches by 2100. Maine has almost 3,500 miles of tidally influenced shoreline, consisting of rocky peninsulas and harbors, pocket beaches, islands, and complex estuaries. Because of the steep profile that is characteristic of the Maine coastline and a lack of low-lying land to be colonized by new marshes, there is likely to be a net loss of marshes in Maine under accelerated sea level rise. sea level rise update

The above are based on from the Environmental Protection Agency's report on climate change, which uses data from the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2001).

For more info on climate change impacts on Maine in areas such as water resources, agriculture, forests and ecosystems, you can download pdf of full EPA Report.

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

Maine is the highest emitter of C02 of all 50 states and the most populous.

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Maps

See CO2 output by sector, coastal population maps, and maps of regional initiatives.

USA Map

Regional Initiatives

In the absence of federal action, many U.S. states are banding together to explore and employ greenhouse gas-reducing policies.


Maine participates in the following:

Eastern Climate Registry (ECR)

New England Governors: Climate Change Action Plan (NEG-ECP)

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

Learn about climate initiatives in all U.S. states and regions

Your Impact

Estimate your CO2 footprint by using a carbon calculator such as the one on the Inconvenient Truth web site.

How green is your energy? The EPA has a power profiler that can tell you.