Mills Administration Responds to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report

Governor Janet Mills and members of her administration released the following statements in response to the Sixth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released today August 9, 2021:

“The message of this report could not be clearer: For the sake of our future, we must act now to mitigate the very real and dangerous impacts of climate change. Here in Maine, we feel the effects of the climate crisis every day – from historically high temperatures, to severe droughts, to rising ocean levels, to the haze that

pervades our air from faraway fires. The climate crisis is disrupting our cherished way of life and our economy and threatening our future,” said Governor Janet Mills. “This is why I declared that Maine won’t wait to act on climate, and I’m proud of the extraordinary, bipartisan progress we have made turning our climate plan into climate action, including significant legislation and unprecedented funding to reduce harmful carbon emissions, increased energy efficiency, enhanced support for municipalities, and transitioning to renewable energy. This work is necessary and timely, and my Administration will continue to lead on climate to protect Maine for future generations.”

“The dire scientific assessment of climate change released by IPCC today underscores why the Maine Climate Council moved with urgency to address this global crisis with the state’s climate plan, Maine Won’t Wait,” said Maine Climate Council co-chairs Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, and Melanie Loyzim, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. “We know the cost of doing nothing about climate change will cause billions in damage to Maine’s infrastructure, environment and economy. We applaud Governor Mills and the Maine Legislature for their strong support of the climate plan, which will help our state be more prepared for climate change and stay on track to achieve our targets for curbing emissions and using renewable energy.”

“With the IPCC’s assessment, the need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to sources of clean, renewable energy has become even more clear and urgent,”said Dan Burgess, Director of the Governor’s Energy Office. “This year, Maine became one of the first states to create targets for battery storage of renewable energy, advanced measures to harness abundant renewable energy from offshore wind, and will unite partners to grow a world-class workforce to support the clean energy economy. These efforts and more will keep here in Maine some of the $4.4 billion we send out of state annually on fossil fuels, while creating, new good-paying jobs and protecting our environment and climate.”

 

Since 2019, the Mills Administration has taken significant action on climate change, including the creation of the state’s four-year plan for climate action, Maine Won’t Wait. View an update on funding, legislation and ongoing activities related to Maine Won’t Wait here (PDF).