On Feb. 23, Gov. Janet Mills requested a major disaster declaration from President Biden to help address the $70.3 million of estimated damages from January’s storms. While the government works to rebuild, many Mainers are left grappling with the growing fear of future losses.

As coastal communities throughout Maine ramp up their climate action planning in the coming months, addressing the increasing threat of sea level rise is a clear priority. These local efforts reflect the failure of state-level legislation to meet their demand, which has caused individual towns, with limited resources, to feel as if they must pick up the pieces.

Maine’s northern location and the ever-warming climate have made sea-level rise an issue Mainers are all too familiar with. In the last month alone, communities up and down the coast were slammed with extremely destructive storms and flooding. These storms are just one example of the impact of the increasing rate of sea-level rise over the last decade, with levels currently rising about an inch every six to eight years.

An increasing number of reports and dashboards mapping the potential impacts of sea level rise in Maine have made it abundantly clear that this is a pressing issue. However, legislators have been too focused on rebuilding efforts in response to past storms, and have failed to take into account the need to create protective measures. These recent events have highlighted an urgent need for state-level legislative action to aid coastal communities in their efforts to prevent or adapt to the impacts of sea level rise. Support from the state would not only be economically advantageous, but it would also bring social benefits and give towns the resources they need to make, and implement, an informed decision.

Based on research from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, though building preventative measures like sea walls can be costly investments, it is likely to be significantly less than the cost of eventual damages. This study was conducted on a global scale, but the assessment likely holds true on a state and local scale, where efficient allocation of funding is even more important. In addition to immediate savings, constructing preventative measures will also mean better protection for the populations that reside in coastal areas. Though the storms in Maine have not yet resulted in significant loss of life, focusing on relocating or rebuilding after storms have struck leaves open the risk of death or injury. Avoiding or minimizing these outcomes should be one of the primary considerations in mitigating the effects of sea level rise.

Planning ahead has social and cultural benefits as well. For many Mainers, their properties on the coast have personal or historical value. While leaving such significant locations is incredibly difficult, losing it overnight is even more devastating. The early January storms washed away multiple historic fishing shacks in South Portland, leaving many residents devastated and feeling as if “history [was] just being washed away.” These same storms damaged multiple lighthouses across the state, many of which were important landmarks.

Though it is far from ideal, strengthening or relocating some of these historic landmarks may be preferable to risking the complete loss of them. For people with residences in areas that are prone to flooding due to sea-level rise, a system that helps with planning ahead by considering the possibilities of managed retreat offers more safety and security that current legislation fails to provide.

Thus, ensuring homeowners are aware of their options and providing support in transitions is vital to effective state-wide mitigation.

As the Natural Resource Defense Council reported, there are countless ways to take the offensive instead of continuing to play defense. On a broad scale, it advocates for more government support and involvement as well as more long-term, resident-driven planning to ensure that all building efforts are taking into account the potential impacts of sea level rise. It also offers a variety of strategies to adapt. These fall into five categories, protection, accommodation, advancement, retreating, and ecosystem-based adaptations, with solutions ranging from constructing seawalls to moving away from the coast.

Some might argue that coastal communities have different histories with different concerns and methods to address them, and therefore should be left to determine the best course of action for themselves. Others might suggest that local policies are more effective in creating immediate change. While these claims have their merit, state-level legislation is necessary to provide the guidance, and often funding, that would enable towns to make and enforce these plans effectively. The goal should not be for the state to develop a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather to provide general principles and support to allow towns to decide which strategies are going to work best for them.

For the last two years, Maine’s southern coast has been my home. For other coastal residents, Maine has been their home for far longer. The fact that less than 30 years from now, some of these places may be lost forever is scary. But beyond the fear lies a reminder that climate change is not a mere inconvenience. For many, it is an existential threat.

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