Saco city leaders meet to discuss plans to prepare for climate change - WGME
Saco city leaders meet to discuss plans to prepare for climate change
SACO (WGME) – Parts of Maine’s coast continue to clean up after January’s devastating storms, and some cities are taking the cleanup a step further by trying to figure out how to prepare for the next big storm.
A climate resilience information session was held in Saco Wednesday night.
The meeting Wednesday night discussed the city's first climate adaption and action plan. City leaders talked about the road map for the next 10 years and how the city will prepare for future impacts of climate change.
Saco has already seen some of those impacts.
During January’s storms, Saco had major damage to areas like Camp Ellis, where homes and streets were destroyed by strong waves and winds.
Areas along the coast of Saco often see flooding damage from storms and high tides, and city officials worry about the future of homes and roads in those areas.
This isn't Saco’s first initiative to handle climate change. The city's website says the city has been working to cut down emissions and energy use since 2006.
In 2020, the Saco City Council passed a resolution declaring a climate emergency.
This is, however, the first time the city is starting an action plan to share what steps comes next to prepare for climate impacts.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy
Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates.
Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.
The conference faces an even greater sense of urgency brought on by the Sept. 8, 2023, release of the first global stocktake, which calls for accelerated action to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21).
Climate diplomacy: COP 27 | Climate diplomacy: COP 28 | Climate diplomacy: COP 29