ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, Maine — A report issued Wednesday by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and Natural Resources Defense Council indicates that the threat of climate change could have “enormous consequences” for Acadia and Maine’s economy.
The park, founded in 1919, draws more than 2.5 million visitors and $157 million in direct tourist spending each year, according to officials who participated in a conference call Wednesday afternoon. But if climate disruption in the form of more severe storms, drier air and higher average temperatures changes the park’s appearance, the park’s boost to Maine’s economy could suffer, they said.
“Climate disruption is the greatest threat the national parks have ever faced,” said Theo Spencer, senior climate advocate of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Acadia is no exception.”
Spencer said that if climate change proceeds without any more steps being taken to reduce its effects, the average temperature in the region could rise as much as 8.5 degrees by the end of the century, matching the current average temperature for Atlantic City, N.J. Even with improvements to mandated climate protections, the average temperature in Maine could rise five degrees because of existing pollution, he said.
According to National Weather Service historical data, the average daily temperature for September in the Bangor area from 1971 to 2000 was approximately 59 degrees.
Stephanie Clement, conservation director of Friends of Acadia, said climate disruption could lead to erosion of coastal roads, Sand Beach and other park attractions. More severe storms could pose greater risks to visitors, she added, as they did in 2009 when a girl from New York City died after large waves churned up by Hurricane Bill swept her and several other sightseers into the ocean near Thunder Hole.
“The effects [of pollution] last a long time, beyond our life spans,” Clement said. “We can make a difference.”
Damage from storms such as Bill last year and Hanna in 2008 aren’t the only effects of pollution and climate change being felt in Acadia, the environmental advocates said. The sky over Acadia frequently exceeds recommended limits for air pollution, which is carried to Maine from Midwest factories and power plants by jet stream wind patterns.
“It’s a park with serious air-quality problems right now,” said Stephen Saunders, president of the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization.
Saunders said that unless steps are taken to reverse the effects of climate change, ocean levels in Maine could rise between four and five feet by 2100. With reduced precipitation, fires such as the one that swept over much of Mount Desert Island in 1947 could occur more often, he added. Such a fire would cause $250 million worth of damage if it occurred today, he said.
All of these things could result in fewer visitors, which would have an adverse effect on the availability of jobs in the area, Saunders said. The current level of tourist activity in eastern coastal Maine, much of which centers on Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, supports 3,000 existing jobs, he said. The lack of new climate protections could be a “job killer,” he said.
“Three thousand jobs is a lot in this economy,” Saunders said.
Consequently, taking steps to protect the environment can help stimulate and protect the economy, officials said.
Spencer cited the automobile industry as an example. The industry once resisted making safety improvements to cars and trucks by arguing that it would add to their expenses and make them less competitive, but the opposite has turned out to be true, Spencer said. Now the auto industry pays close attention to fuel efficiency, emissions and safety because it is what customers want, he said.
“They understand they have to do that to remain competitive,” Spencer said. “[Being eco-friendly] can be good for the environment and the economy.”
The report can be downloaded at the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization website, http://rockymountainclimate.org/.
