by Becca Shaw Glaser & Nathan Kroms Davis May 16, 2019, The Free Press

“When we start to act hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope — look for action. Then the hope will come.”

— Greta Thunberg, 16-year-old climate activist

This could be an exciting moment for Rockland! On May 20 at 5:30 p.m. at Rockland City Hall, the city’s Energy Advisory Committee will present its proposed Climate Action Plan, along with a workshop hosted by the City Council. We are members of the committee, but we write this column as individuals.

For over a year, the committee has been working to develop policy recommendations for Rockland around energy and climate change. To see the full proposal, go to https://tinyurl.com/rockland-climate (or see below). Among other things, the Action Plan recommends that Rockland set a goal of our entire community becoming carbon-neutral by 2045. It also recommends that by 2025, all municipal electricity be 100-percent renewable. These are ambitious goals and would establish Rockland as a leader on energy efficiency and independence, resilience and climate change intervention. Are these radical, unachievable goals? No. As of March 2019, over 110 municipalities throughout the United States have adopted goals to transition to 100-percent clean, renewable energy no later than 2050. But as far as we know, Rockland’s goals would be the most ambitious of any municipality in the state. The organization A Climate to Thrive on Mount Desert Island has set a goal of 100-percent energy independence by 2030 for the entire island. More locally, Belfast, Camden and Lincolnville all have impressive solar arrays. We would love to see Rockland be a leader in this.

It is easy to feel despair over the global climate news: accelerating heat, bigger storms, wildfires, mass death of fish and insects, etc. Here in the midcoast, we are experiencing more extreme cold days in winter, more hot days in summer, one of the highest ocean temperature rises in the world, rising seas, tick-borne diseases, browntail moth infestations, more major precipitation events, as well as more droughts than a hundred years ago. While disputed, The Gulf of Maine Research Institute working with NOAA estimates that by 2050, the lobster population may drop up to 62 percent from its current level. Also by 2050, according the University of Maine’s report on “Maine’s Climate Future,” we will get 40% less snow than we currently receive, which is already less than a few decades ago. At a recent talk at Merryspring Nature Center, “Adapting Maine Farms for Climate Change,” researcher Sonja Birthisel said that by 2100, the coast of Maine may become a Zone 7 gardening climate.

Eleven years. In 2018, the UN‘s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a major report which said we had only 12 (now 11) years to make urgent and unprecedented changes to reach the target of keeping global temperature rise between 1.5C and 2C, to hopefully avoid some of the worst effects of climate change. And in early May this year, the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services released a report warning that around a million species of plants and animals now face extinction. Climate change is not the only cause of this likely mass extinction, but the report notes that it is “a direct driver that is increasingly exacerbating the impact of other drivers on nature and human well-being.”

This is enormous information to take in. On the plus side, after eight years of stagnation, there’s finally some progress at the state level and a flurry of environmental bills (though we think the governor’s energy goals aren’t nearly ambitious enough, and her support for the CMP transmission line is misguided). If we join together to work on this problem, we could stem some of the worst future outcomes for the planet. It also makes good economic sense to go renewable — we maintain more independence, and many new jobs will be created.

One thing very important to the committee is our recommendation that Rockland hire a staff sustainability coordinator to implement efficiency, renewable energy generation, and other sustainability projects, since the scope and responsibility of such projects exceeds the capacity or authority of a volunteer municipal committee. The committee has assembled evidence that staff sustainability positions elsewhere have paid for themselves through efficiency savings and grants. We know that the city is perpetually under financial strain, but we think we can get the potholes on Main Street fixed, while taking steps to try to make sure Main Street isn’t underwater in a few decades! The fact is that if we are truly serious about preparing for our future, we will budget the small amount it will take to hire someone in this position.

Come help make Rockland a leader in building a sustainable future for Maine! Consider reading poems, quotes, or other words expressing your passion about these issues. Even if you don’t want to speak, you can be a supportive member of the audience. Dissent, critique and other ideas are welcome as well. If you need transportation or childcare to attend, please contact ….

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Rockland Energy Advisory Committee

March 2019

Rockland Climate Action Plan Proposal

Goals:
1) By 2045, the entire community of Rockland will be carbon neutral.i

2) By 2025, the City of Rockland will obtain 100% of municipal electricity from renewable sources.

Rationale

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that the world needs to be carbon neutral by 2050 in order to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 C ii, avoid the worst of the impacts of climate change and sea level rise, and adhere to the landmark Paris Agreement on climate changeiii. Beyond this, the benefits of renewable energy and energy independence include a cleaner environment and long-term lower costs for heating, transportation, and electricity.

How do we get there?
We have developed this list of strategies to achieve our goals. Given the large scale of changes that will be required, we are not able to predict with certainty what will need to occur to fully meet these goals and implement these strategies. We expect there will be technological and social changes in the coming years that will influence our options.

1. Dedicate roles and positions in city government to meet stated goals. Hire a full-time sustainability coordinator to create, execute, and seek funding for programs to help achieve our energy goals. Also, hire a part-time staff member to perform marketing/public relations work to support these goals. These staff members will work closely with the public, City Council, municipal committees, city staff and other interested parties to implement these goals in a collaborative manner. Further goals and projects will be established via an accountable community-wide process working with the sustainability coordinator. This work is too important, too large-scale, and too specialized to rely solely on volunteer work.

2. Develop renewable, local power generation. A first step will be to transition the city government’s energy needs to renewable sources. A next step will be to use renewable power to supply the entire community’s electricity needs, for example via a municipal or regional utility. We must also identify areas of the city which could be used for wind, solar or tidal power generation.
3. Craft city policy to reduce greenhouse gasses and improve energy independence. This will include the construction and renovation of efficient buildings, zoning requirements for renewable energy development, creating a more walkable, wheelable city, and encouraging more people who work in Rockland to live here. We suggest creating a building improvement revolving loan fund via a bond and using this fund to upgrade building efficiency, insulation, and heat sources. This would be an expansion of the
   Weatherize Rockland program and would include incentives to encourage landlords to weatherize.
4. Reduce energy consumption. We recommend the conversion of city street lights to LED bulbs, a full audit of lighting needs, employing motion detection where appropriate, and adopting a dark sky policy which both reduces energy usage and adds to the natural beauty of the city. Further reductions in energy consumption in both the city government and community at large will help us better reach our goals.
5. Eliminate reliance on fossil fuels for home heating. This will have to be accomplished through a combination of improved efficiency and replacement of existing non-renewable heating sources with those that are more renewable (heat pumps, wood, pellets, solar, etc.).
6. Make our transportation energy efficient. There are several areas where we can take immediate steps, for instance: implementing a complete streets policy that encourages walking and cycling and is welcoming to wheelchair users, supporting the community bus and helping increase its route and ridership, subsidizing taxi services, and adding electric vehicle charging stations to strengthen the electric vehicle corridor. Any new municipal vehicle purchases should meet city-set standards for efficiency and
   consumption.

7. Develop a community outreach and education program. Potential partners include schools, civic and business groups, non-profits, etc. We encourage developing educational and fun outreach on issues such as: zero waste, water use reduction and water saving techniques, composting, tips for reducing energy usage, considering more plant-based diets, upcycling rather than recycling, buying used, carbon footprint and cradle-to-grave education in general on topics such as the way in which we are connected to global pollution via server farms, flying, etc.

8. Form alliances with regional communities and larger organizations that can help us continue towards our goals. We recommend joining the Global Covenant of Mayors who can provide additional resources for us. Also, there are a number of exciting opportunities on the horizon for collaboration with the state government. Teaming up with regional communities to find vendors for the LED replacement is a good current example of regional cooperation.

i Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by balancing carbon emissions with carbon removal (often through carbon offsetting) or simply eliminating carbon emissions altogether (the transition to a “post-carbon economy”). It is used in the context of carbon dioxide-releasing processes associated with transportation, energy production, and industrial processes.

ii https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-
approved-by-governments/

iii https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement