By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
    What would happen to Maine if the sea level rose one meter or even six meters? The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) is hoping to provide some answers to that question and many others related to global warming and climate change via a series of public talks taking place around the state. On Thursday, Sara Lovitz, NRCM’s global warming outreach coordinator, was scheduled to conduct a presentation at the Scarborough Public Library and discuss the predicted effects of climate change, the intent of a proposed global warming bill, and her experiences training with Al Gore.
    Lovitz recently trained with Al Gore and “The Climate Project” and she is now traveling around the state, exposing the public to the facts behind global warming and the steps individuals and communities can take to reduce its effects. The two-day program, held in Nashville, connects participants to climate change scientists, educators, and lecturers.
    “I saw An Inconvenient Truth three times so I was familiar with a lot of the science,” Lovitz said. Reflecting on the program, she said, “It was amazing to see how solid the science is.”
    Last year, the NRCM did its own analysis of possible effects of climate change, focusing on rising sea levels. The analysis identified the 20 “Most at Risk” towns along Maine’s coastline. In Scarborough, a one-meter rise in the sea level would submerge 1,500 acres of land, or five percent of the town. A six-meter rise would destroy 7,000 acres, or 22 percent of the town. The analysis projects that Scarborough Marsh would be near complete devastation.
    Moving up the coastline, the analysis found that in Portland parts of Commercial Street and I-295 would be completely submerged. A six-meter rise would completely destroy Bath Iron Works and within the islands in Penobscot Bay; 12,000 acres of land could be covered in water. In addition to the physical impacts on Maine’s coastline, there would also be associated impacts to Maine’s economy. The analysis determined that parts of Route 1 would need to be rebuilt, fresh water supplies and wastewater treatment plants would need to be rebuilt, and tourist attractions along the coast would be destroyed.
    Lovitz said a rise in sea level is dependent upon levels of carbon emissions and the melting of glaciers in Greenland and the western Antarctic ice shelf. She said she focuses on informing the public about the actions they can take because a rise in sea level is not a “linear process,” but rather something that is dependent on our carbon footprints.
    The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) bill is one method in which efforts to reduce pollution are being conducted at the state level. Lovitz said Maine is one of ten states that are looking to adopt the model rule through regulation or legislation. In Maine, the bill will come under consideration in the legislature. If adopted, the bill will create a “regional cap and trade” program for Maine’s power plants.  Lovitz said it is a “flexible, market based solution,” which will allow states to purchase carbon emission allowances through an auction. Extra allowances can be sold or traded between states. The bill could reduce global warming pollution by 20 percent by the year 2019.
    Lovitz said the public should be aware of the general impacts of global warming on Maine’s environment. She said if we do nothing to lower emissions, by the end of the century, the temperature in Augusta will feel more like Washington, D.C. As a result of this increase in temperature, Mainers would see an increase in droughts, a decrease in the snow pack, and an increase in forest pests. She said climate change is a “very real threat,” but the public can prevent it from becoming a linear process.