[Baltimore Sun] After 2024 election, Maryland must lead on climate | GUEST COMMENTARY

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Following the reelection of Donald Trump, the time for Maryland to be a climate leader is now.

Communities no longer have the luxury of waiting for federal leadership. During the last Trump presidency, billionaire fossil fuel interests took priority, obstructing progress on addressing the issue of climate change.

All scales of Maryland government across every sector must rise to the moment to reduce heat-trapping gases. Immediately. The time for political foot-dragging has passed. Our health, economy, infrastructure and national security depend on it.

Experts have shown the planet is warming. And we don’t need to look far for evidence. Ask the Carroll County farmer. Growing seasons are shifting, and persistent drought is a concern. Ask the Frostburg clinician who treats heat-related hospitalizations during a major heat wave. More people die of heat-related health issues than any other weather-related hazard, and heat waves are increasing in frequency and duration. Visit Ellicott City, Annapolis or Cambridge to witness the impact of heavy rain events or sea level rise. Climate change is both a local and global issue. But ultimately, climate change is a human issue, and it can be solved if we urgently act together. Project Drawdown highlights various shovel-ready solutions, linking the public with the private sector.

In Maryland, Vice President Kamala Harris won one of the highest percentage shares of the vote compared with other U.S. states. With power comes great responsibility. With the potential lapse in federal support, Wes Moore, the General Assembly, counties and mayors must address the climate crisis. Climate action boosts the clean energy economy, creating jobs — good-paying jobs that do not require a college education — and ensures the state remains competitive in the 21st century. Reducing climate pollution improves public health outcomes and promotes economic sustainability. A recent commentary in Environmental Epidemiology highlights the health benefits of climate action.

Municipalities must improve 21st-century transit options, prioritizing mobility and addressing affordable housing. Transit can encourage compact development, which reduces fossil fuel dependence. The energy of tomorrow is renewable. No one is installing a coal-burning fireplace in their home.

Education is essential, and Maryland has historically led on environmental literacy topics. But we must improve climate literacy. PragerU and other fossil fuel-backed entities cloud the scientific narrative and try to influence learning outcomes.

Maryland’s food waste policy, the RENEW Act and the recently adopted heat protection standards are examples of bold action the state has undertaken, but we have to do more to mitigate climate change.

In 2023, the Maryland Department of the Environment released the Climate Pollution Reduction Plan, requiring the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045. Let’s lead and make that transition more quickly.

We must protect and replant green space. Preserving essential ecosystems captures carbon, provides habitat for duck hunters, improves water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and provides health co-benefits. We must build resilience — in urban and rural communities alike — to future extreme events, reducing inequities and improving well-being.

Maryland has an opportunity to be a national leader, and we each have a duty to demand bold climate action. Maryland leaders, it is time to rise to the moment.

Michael J. Allen is an assistant professor of geography at Towson University. Martin England is a retired Earth science remote-sensing engineer. Towson University students in Allen’s class “Climate Change: Science to Policy” contributed to this article.

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