Research Areas - Environmental Policy

State of Maine Climate Change Action Plan

Responding to Global Climate Change and Achieving 
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions in Maine:
Roles for Industry, Business, Government and Citizens

This  report is presented by the Maine State Planning Office and the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy through a working partnership that promotes close collaboration between science and policy to develop both short- and long-term responses to greenhouse gas emissions. The combined phases of the project are expected to achieve four significant goals that are relevant not only to the development of state policies on climate change, but also to other critical policy issues. These are:

To develop baseline data from which to measure future changes in greenhouse gas emissions and a database of other important quantitative and qualitative information related to global climate change impacts to Maine and the region;

To build capacity among state agencies, the state legislature, and key public and private stakeholders to develop and ultimately implement responsible and meaningful public policies to deal with greenhouse gas emissions;

To establish models of interagency collaboration that will enhance the development of future climate change policies; and,

To develop a state action plan that will identify and evaluate current and potential climate change policies, prioritize identified options, identify capacity-building opportunities on climate change issues for state government, and devise public outreach and education approaches in the development of climate change polices.

A copy of the State of Maine Climate Change Action Plan, 2000 can be downloaded at the Maine State Planning Office web site at: http://www.state.me.us/spo/pubs/origpdf/pdf/ClimateReport.pdf.

For more information, please contact Deirdre Mageean (deirdre.mageean@umit.maine.edu)