If the Earth continues to heat up, so will Maine, and over the course of our children's lifetime average temperatures in the state could increase by 4 degrees F (ranging from 2-8 degrees F) with serious consequences:

• Hotter summers, more smoggy days, and more asthma and other respiratory illnesses;
• Insect infestations and the spread of disease (e.g., Lyme's) that harm both our forests and health;
• More droughts that hurt farmers, wells and nature, and a warming climate that is inhospitable to key crops such as the Maine potato, maple syrup, and blueberries;
• Loss of native trees and wildlife species; and
• Economic loss in Maine's winter recreational industry (skiing, snowmobiling, etc.) due to shorter winters with less snow.

The face of Maine as we know it could be changed or lost :

• 1,000 acres of downtown Portland could be wiped out, including all of Commercial Street and portions of I-295;
• Most of the village of Kennebunkport along with President Bush's family home on Walker's Point could be completely submerged
• Bath Iron Works, the state's largest private employer, would be ruined by the smaller sea-level rise and completely flooded in the higher sea-level rise scenario
• More than 12,000 acres of land could be submerged on islands in Penobscot Bay including Vinalhaven and Deer Isle, which would destroy fire departments, public libraries, and other coastal properties;
• Of Maine's 1,250 publicly-protected parcels, more than half would be harmed, even with a one-meter rise. These include 250 areas controlled by the Department of Conservation, 125 controlled by Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, plus 95 Nature Conservancy sites and 22 Maine Audubon sites.
• Scarborough Marsh, one of the largest and most valued wildlife sanctuaries in New England, would be almost completely destroyed.

(Sources: Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Change and Maine and findings compiled from a study by the Natural Resources Council of Maine (2006)