The rates of change in our climate system during the 21st century are unprecedented in the modern human experience. This becomes an ever-greater concern as we simultaneously address challenges to our economy, food security, human health, and other stressors in our society. The organizers of the Climate Solutions Summit, and those adding their names to the cause, share a vision of a thriving Maine in 2020 in which citizens working together across the state are incorporating mitigation, adaptation and resilience into our communities.

This vision document will be used as the starting point for the Climate Solutions Summit on March 12 at the Augusta Civic Center. We invite you to join us there to help us begin to make this vision a reality.

This vision is intended to be a framework for progress. It is a perspective from 2014 to guide us safely toward 2020 and beyond. We expect to evolve this as a living document in the years ahead. Your participation will influence future iterations. If you feel strongly that this vision does not represent our situation today, that is the point. The next step is to decide what we do to move toward this desired future, to make our shared vision a reality by 2020. Visit www.climatesolutionsME.org for more information.

-Fred Horch, Brunswick, on behalf of the Climate Solutions Summit group