If nothing is done to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the Chesapeake Bay region, parts of downtown Annapolis could be underwater one day, scientists say.
“We are woefully behind efforts to reduce emissions,” said Beth McGee, a water-quality scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which released a study Thursday highlighting global warming?s effect on the Bay.
The study by Yale graduates said greenhouse gases must be reduced by 50 percent to 80 percent in 50 years.
If unabated, Bay water levels could rise up to 4 feet by the end of the century.
Maryland is considered the third-most likely state to be affected by rising sea levels, next to Louisiana and Florida.
Five Bay islands have lost 3,000 acres in the last 300 years, including Sharps Island?s disappearance in 1962.
Global warming also increases water temperatures, resulting in more “dead zone” water that lacks enough oxygen for fish, such as striped bass, to survive, according to the report.
The programs, such as cover crops and forest buffers, also can remove about 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually.
Most efforts to curb greenhouse gases would focus on farms. However, they were thwarted last year when the state Senate tabled a
$60 million “green fund” that would have utilized fees imposed on developers for impervious surfaces.
“If we do not step up to the promises made, the Bay will get worse, not better,” foundation President William Baker said.
BY THE NUMBERS
Breakdown of greenhouse emissions in the United States for 2005:
» Industrial: 29 percent
» Transportation: 28 percent
» Commercial: 17 percent
» Residential: 17 percent
» Agricultural: 9 percent
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
