Maine Climate Council

Welcome to the Maine Climate Council homepage. Information about the Council and its working groups is given below. Please visit the individual web pages of working groups on the left hand side of this page for information about upcoming meetings, agendas and meeting materials, and minutes from past meetings.

As our state responds to the COVID-19 crisis, addressing climate change remains a high priority.

Per current public health guidance in Maine, which recommends “social distancing” (i.e. 6 feet of distance between people, avoiding crowded spaces) and avoiding non-essential large gatherings, we are shifting the Maine Climate Council to virtual meetings. This includes upcoming working group meetings as well as stakeholder and public meetings planned for this spring.

Please see each working group's webpage for details about how to attend virtual meetings. Most upcoming virtual meetings will take place via the Zoom platform. For the best virtual meeting experience, please join a meeting at least 5-10 minutes before it starts to ensure time to address any technical or audio issues. The Zoom Help Center (link) has many helpful tutorials and FAQ pages in the case of technical issues. 

If you are new to ZOOM, please watch these 1-minute tutorial videos before live meetings:

In our experience, it’s best to use the Google Chrome internet browser instead of Edge or Firefox.

Goals of the Maine Climate Council

Bold emissions reductions: The Maine Climate Council is charged with developing a plan to meet state greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets that are now in law, including a gross 45% greenhouse gas emissions reduction below 1990 levels by 2030 and at least 80% by 2050

Mitigation: Develop mitigation strategies to meet state emissions reduction requirements in all sectors of the economy, with a focus on Maine’s transportation, electricity, and buildings sectors

Resilience: Develop strategies that will make Maine people, industries, and communities resilient to the impacts of climate change

Jobs: Recommend how to best grow good paying jobs in the transition to a lower carbon economy, and provide support and retraining for those industries and workers who will be most impacted by climate change

Transition: Develop programs to ensure Maine’s rural, low-income and elderly populations are not adversely impacted in the shift to a low-carbon economy, while also delivering benefits like lower heating bills

Read the original legislation creating the Maine Climate Council by clicking here. 

Looking to send a comment or suggestion to the Maine Climate Council?

Please visit the contact form here (link) and submit your comment to one of the Maine Climate Council's working groups or staff. We will pass your comment or suggestion along to the relevant working group and follow up if necessary. 

Climate Planning Timeline:

  • September 26, 2019 – Maine Climate Council launch
  • January 29, 2020 (Jan. 30 snow date) - second Maine Climate Council meeting, Augusta Civic Center,76 Community Dr, Augusta, ME. Second floor, Augusta/Capitol/Pine tree rooms.
  • NEW RELEASE: Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine, Phase I Working Document (PDF), from the Maine Climate Council's Scientific and Technical Subcommittee
  • October 2019–Summer 2020 – Climate Council working groups meet, propose solutions. Working groups include Science & Technical; Transportation; Buildings, Housing & Infrastructure; Energy; Coastal & Marine; Working Lands; and Resilience, Public Health & Emergency Management
    • All meetings are open to the public and can be found on this webpage and each working group's webpage. 
    • Please see the Public Meeting Calendar for the full schedule of upcoming meetings
  • December 2020 – 4-year State Climate Action Plan due
  • Ongoing Work: Climate Council to meet quarterly to monitor progress and working groups to meet at least twice a year to monitor progress; GHG emissions reporting every other year by Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Climate Action Plan updates every 4 years

Announcement of the membership of the Maine Climate Council

The Maine Climate Council has the following Subcommittees & Working groups: 

For more information on this initiative, email Cassaundra Rose.

Looking for more information about the impacts of climate change in Maine? Visit the Department of Environmental Protection's Climate hub by clicking here.