Grassroots group seeks collaborative solutions for climate adaptations

BLUE HILL—If you’ve noticed milder winters, warmer waters, and a spike in sweltering summer days, you’re not alone. “Many, many people, hundreds of people, told us that they’ve noticed over their lifetimes that Maine is warming up,” said Dr. Cassaundra Rose of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. “Climate change is already a reality for Maine.”

- CLARK TATE

A recently formed Blue Hill Peninsula Planning Group is working on what to do about it. Members include Allen Kratz of Brooksville, Randy Curtis and JeffMilliken of Blue Hill, Bailey Bowden of Penobscot, and Jim Fisher of Deer Isle. The grassroots group hosted a Zoom meeting June 4, with members of the public, community leaders, and, notably, Maine District 133 Rep. Sarah Pebworth in attendance. The stated purpose was to “combine usable information and opportunities for action.”

The meeting started with background information in fire hose fashion, with Dr. Susie Arnold, a marine scientist at the Island Institute, and Rose, a senior science analyst and climate control coordinator, discussing the state of climate science.

Temperatures and sea level rising

Air temperatures in Maine are 3.2 degrees higher than they were in 1895. They could rise an additional two to four degrees by 2050, and up to 10 by 2100, according to the Maine Climate Council’s Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine published in 2020. The Council’s interactive Climate Dashboard shows that ocean surface temperatures are 3.8 degrees hotter than historic averages. Under worst-case emission scenarios, they could climb to up to 55 degrees by 2050, temperatures found in southern New England today, according to Maine State Climate Office’s CMIP5 model forecasts, with data sourced from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.