Maine’s climate is changing along with the rest of the world’s, and more rain, more weird weather and, of course, more heat are the effects of the global warming we’re experiencing.

The bad news: It will get worse, researchers say, with the growing warmth creating challenges on many fronts including existing Maine industries — among them: lobstering, winter recreation and tourism, and forestry and agriculture, of which a warmer climate means more pests and more disease to deal with.

The encouraging news: Something can be done about it. And people involved in the issue say simple and easy things done by individual Mainers can have an impact on the problem.

First, a little background: Maine’s average temperature has increased three degrees Fahrenheit over the past century, and 8 of the warmest years have occurred since 1998. Based on what we know, models project the average temperature to increase between 2 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit more over the next century, according to the Maine Climate Office of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Data show a clear and undeniable pattern that reflects lived experience here in Maine. Take for example more frequent and heavier downpours.

“On average, 10 to 15 more heavy precipitation events occur per year compared to the previous century,” says a March 30 Maine Climate Change Overview from the Maine Climate Office. Heavy precipitation events are two and three inches or more per day, and that increasing trend has been observed primarily over the past 20 years.

The overall number of precipitation events has increased as well. For example, there were an average of 117 precipitation events each year between 1900 and 1910, and 144 between 2000 and 2010.

And what about drought? Even amid the wetter climate that has emerged in Maine, impactful short-term droughts primarily since 2016 have been seen in parts of the state, which have been exacerbated by high temperatures that increase evaporation from the soil, according to Dr. Sean Birkel, Maine state climatologist and assistant extension professor at the Climate Change Institute of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

In general, the increased heat from global warming “facilitates extremes,” according to Birkel.

That makes for unusual weather patterns, which are sometimes “remarkably persistent,” Birkel said, in that they stay in place in some cases for weeks at a time.

The very cold temperatures in early February that broke records in some areas followed a record warm January. Daytime high temperature on one of the days with the wind chill was in the negative 40s in some areas in Maine.

“That was an extreme event and what some people would see as unexpected in a warming climate. Part of that is variability, but there’s also this tendency toward more extremes,” Birkel said, noting that extreme cold events have become less common amid global warming than they used to be.

Another memorable recent extreme weather event was remarkable in part because many parts of the country were having the opposite experience at the same time.

“The extreme cold that we experienced in February 2015 was downstream of record warmth being felt across much of the western U.S. up toward Alaska,” Birkel said.

Many more impacts will be felt in Maine, such as sea level rise, ocean acidification, new diseases, lower snowpack and curtailed winter recreation, and ecological changes on land and in the sea and lakes, researchers say. The impacts pose a threat to individuals, infrastructure and nature, while responding to and mitigating the impacts are increasingly costly to taxpayers.

Locally, water quality experts just last week acknowledged that warming climate is also warming the drinking water source for Lewiston and Auburn residents, Lake Auburn, which fosters more algae growth and threatens the quality of the water.

“Risks and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages from climate change escalate with every increment of global warming,” the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in its March 20 report, and these risks will become more difficult to manage as time goes on.

The imperative to act is upon us, experts say. “There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all,” the most recent warnings from the IPCC say. “The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO: INDIVIDUAL ACTION

In the United States, emissions of CO2, the main gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, were over 14 tons per person in 2020. That’s more than double the global average. While climate change is a systemic problem that needs action by governments and large institutions, action at the individual level is critical to making a change, experts say.

“Bold, fast, and wide-ranging action needs to be taken by governments and businesses. But the transition to a low-carbon world also requires the participation of citizens – especially in advanced economies,” says the UN Campaign for Individual Action.

Here are some ideas if you are concerned about climate change but feel stuck in your ability to react.

* Start at home:

Use less energy by switching to LED lightbulbs and hanging things to dry rather than using a clothes dryer. If you are a homeowner, you can take advantage of significant rebates from Efficiency Maine to add insulation to improve the performance and comfort of your home. If it’s time for a new boiler, invest in a heat pump instead, which will also cool your home in the warm season — a big benefit as it gets warmer over time. Lower income households can receive enhanced incentives. Efficiency Maine offers other rebates and has a number of tools and resources to help renters and homeowners strategize to reduce energy consumption. Also check with your town for rebates. Auburn, for instance, matches Efficiency Maine rebates.

* Reduce, reuse, repair and repurpose: 

The products we buy often come with major carbon footprints, from the extraction of raw materials to production to distribution. Buying fewer things and searching to find used things on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and resale stores can dramatically reduce an individual’s carbon footprint. Using materials to make new objects or repairing them is another way to have an impact. 

“The wider community and world at large need to see clothing that has a hole in it or a saucer without its cup as useful materials rather than garbage,” said Freeport Community Services Thrift Shop Manager Miriam Tanner. “I think it can have a huge impact on our thinking as individuals and on our consumption. It has a huge effect when it becomes the norm to rethink our waste and consider, ‘What purpose could this have?’” 

* Switch your source of energy: 

Support your local solar farm and save money at the same time. Move away from using oil and natural gas for your home heat when you can.

And move away from the internal combustion engine for your car when you can. Switching from a gasoline or diesel-powered car to an electric vehicle can reduce your carbon footprint by up to two tons of CO2 per year, according to the United Nations. Using the nationwide average of various energy sources, the federal Department of Energy found that operating an electric vehicle creates 3,932 pounds of CO₂ equivalent per year, compared to 5,772 pounds for plug-in hybrids, 6,258 pounds for typical hybrids, and 11,435 pounds for gasoline vehicles.

The difference gets even greater in states like Maine, where 72% of the electrical energy made here is from renewable resources, primarily hydro power. But even in states like West Virginia, which uses a lot of coal to produce electricity, research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed that electric vehicles remain significantly better for the environment. 

* Make your dollars count:

Support companies and products that are committed to cutting their environmental impact.  

Authorities say having a robust local food system is one of the best ways communities can prepare to meet the challenges that come with global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If you purchase food and goods at the farmer’s market, or purchase a share in a CSA, you are taking a step toward solving the climate crisis. So is growing your own food.

* Look it up: 

Have questions about climate change in Maine? The University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Maine Climate Office (mco.umaine.edu) maintains up-to-date weather and climate information and allows access to data on a number of different aspects of our climate going back to when recordkeeping began. It is a wealth of information for anyone questioning the science or wanting to learn more or get a sense of the changes that have already occurred so they can have informed conversations with others, including elected officials.

* Speak up:

Reach out to your elected officials and leaders on the municipal, county and state levels to share your concerns and express your support for measures that address the global warming problem.

* Organize and join: 

If you’re motivated to do even more, joining with others will have a multiplier effect. Scott Vlaun started the Center for an Ecology Based Economy in Norway (Maine) with his wife and two neighbors in 2013.

“We all had young children. That was kind of the impetus. It was like, wow, we need to do something and start spreading the word,” Vlaun said. Since then, CEBE has grown to have several paid staff and various programs around food, energy, shelter, transportation and education. It is still the only climate action organization in western Maine. 

“The solutions to the climate crisis are really more community-based than individual-based, I think, and they’re more systemic than they are based on individual action,” Vlaun said. “We’re starting to see groups pop up all over the state.” 

CEBE has an upcoming climate convergence on May 12-13 where all things climate will be discussed. “Trying to navigate (the climate crisis) alone can be very daunting and depressing,” Vlaun said. “Working in community and focusing on solutions can really help.” 

CEBE also partners with others to run popular introductory workshops on carpentry and other skills to encourage men and women to do their own weatherizing, solar panel installation, heat pump installation, etc. “We just don’t have anywhere near the amount of tradespeople we need in Maine — in the country — to do the work that needs to get done, and that’s a huge problem,” Vlaun said.

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