Maryland

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 Maryland

Below are some of the potential impacts:

  • Over the last century, the average temperature in College Park, Maryland, has increased 2.4°F. By 2100 temperatures in Maryland could increase by 3°F (with a range of 1-7°F) in spring and 4°F (with a range of 2-9°F) in the other seasons.
  • Higher temperatures and increased frequency of heat waves may increase the number of heat-related deaths and the incidence of heat-related illnesses. Maryland, with its irregular, intense heat waves, could be susceptible.
  • Climate change could increase concentrations of ground-level ozone. For example, high temperatures, strong sunlight, and stable air masses tend to increase urban ozone levels. Nearly all of Maryland is classified as a nonattainment area for ozone. Serious to severe nonattainment areas include Baltimore and the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Ground-level ozone is associated with respiratory illnesses such as asthma, reduced lung function, and respiratory inflammation.
  • Maryland has 3,100 miles of tidally influenced shoreline. It consists of barrier islands such as Assateague Island, the highly urbanized and developed oceanfront of Ocean City, and the extensive eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. The eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland has an extensive array of tidally influenced freshwater and salt marshes, forested wetlands, riverine wetlands, and open water.
  • At Baltimore, sea level already is rising by 7 inches per century, and it is likely to rise another 19 inches by 2100. Human activities such as impounding and dredging as well as sea level rise have caused extensive losses of coastal wetlands and marshes in both the Chesapeake Bay and Assateague Island regions. With higher sea levels, Assateague Island is likely to migrate toward the mainland as sand is eroded on the ocean side and deposited on the mainland side, and the island’s native plant communities, which include some threatened species, are likely to change in distribution and diversity. sea level rise update
  • The 9-mile coastline of Ocean City, which was nourished by a $30 million beach nourishment project in the late 1980s, could be threatened by a rise in sea level. The cumulative cost of additional sand replenishment to protect Maryland’s coastline from a 20-inch sea level rise by 2100 is estimated at $35-$200 million.
  • Sea level rise could lead to flooding of low-lying property, loss of coastal wetlands, erosion of beaches, saltwater contamination of drinking water, and decreased longevity of low-lying roads, causeways, and bridges. In addition, sea level rise could increase the vulnerability of coastal areas to storms and associated flooding.

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 Maryland in areas such as water resources, agriculture, forests and ecosystems, you can download pdf of full EPA Report.

CO2: How Does Your State Rank?

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

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Maps

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Regional Initiatives

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


Maryland participates in the following:

Eastern Climate Registry (ECR) (Observer)

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) (Observer)

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.

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