From the desk of...

Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland 

Governor O'Malley at the MEMA press conference on Hurricane Sandy.

Over the past three decades, Maryland's climate has become wetter and hotter, and water levels within the Chesapeake Bay have continued to rise. From Tropical Storms Irene and Lee in 2011, to the extreme heat in July 2011 and 2012, to the recent devastation caused by Sandy in October, the evidence is clear. This extreme weather has demonstrated just how vulnerable our natural resources and infrastructure can be to such events.

Since 2007, we have been working to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, improve our energy performance, and build up our resiliency to both observed and future climate-related impacts. Through Maryland's Climate Action Plan's adaptation strategy, we've detailed necessary actions to protect our economic well-being, environmental heritage and public safety. Implementation is well underway, with projects focused on assessing the risk of private and public infrastructure and public health. On-the-ground efforts to preserve and restore natural features, such as wetlands and forested buffers that help to buffer coastal communities against the surge of floodwaters and sea level rise, are also in progress.

Climate change will affect Maryland. In addition to increased risk for drought, storms, flooding and forest fires, we are likely to see more heat-related impacts and increased erosion in coastal areas. While we are already experiencing many of these effects, climate change raises the stakes by changing the frequency, intensity, extent and magnitude of these hazards.

Hurricane Sandy emphasized the need and importance of preparing for climate change. While we were very fortunate to be spared the brunt of the storm, science tells us that we must continue to plan and prepare for similar storms in the future.

Sincerely,