Governors say states are taking steps to assure their long-term resiliency in the face of worsening climate change—and in the absence of sweeping federal action.
In the absence of strong federal actions to address climate change, states are beginning to implement their own measures to ensure long-term resiliency, governors said Sunday at the National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington, D.C.
“Everyone says, ‘It can’t happen here,’ until it does happen here. And it can happen in any one of our states,” Janet Mills, the governor of Maine, said during a panel discussion on state-level resilience planning. “I think we all sat back for years and said, ‘If something happens, FEMA will help us out.’ We need to start this at home.”
Maine has seen firsthand evidence of climate change, including extensive flooding and the looming loss of what Mills called “working waterfront.” To prepare for future events, Mills said, the state has undertaken a host of “decisive actions” aimed at mitigation, including the implementation of an electric vehicle rebate program, a goal to achieve statewide carbon neutrality by 2045. The state has also launched a “100,000 heat pump initiative” designed to help residents ease their dependence on fossil fuels.
Next City
By Kate Elizabeth Queram,
FEBRUARY 9, 2020 02:57 PM ET