58% of the Chesapeake beaches will be lost to sea level rise unless we do something about climate change.

If this Memorial Day weekend is anything like the last, about 350,000 people will cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, many headed to enjoy the beaches of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Yet a new report released today by the National Wildlife Federation paints a shockingly stark picture of the fate of our beloved beaches thanks to global warming and with a click of a button, you can help stop it.

NWF’s report, Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Habitats of the Chesapeake Bay, finds that the region could lose more than half of the beaches along its ocean coasts. No, that’s not a typo. Fifty-eight percent of the region’s beaches could completely disappear due to sea level rise caused by global warming. Read the report summary here>>

Yet this terrifying statistic is NOT a foregone conclusion. Maryland has already made some remarkable steps towards addressing global warming. With Governor Martin O’Malley at the helm Maryland has passed the Clean Cars Act, enacted strong energy efficiency standards, and committed to reducing per capita electricity consumption 15% by 2015. Yet the biggest step of all, the Global Warming Solutions Act, which would have reduced Maryland’s overall global warming pollution 25% by 2020, was defeated in the Maryland House of Delegates at the very last minute.

It is not too late to make Maryland a leader on global warming solutions. Take a moment — right now — to sign a petition to Governor O’Malley asking him to take strong administrative action and make the Global Warming Solutions Act law. Maryland’s beaches hang in the balance.

Sign the petition to Governor O’Malley>>

If global warming continues unabated, projected rising sea levels will significantly reshape the region’s coastal landscape, threatening waterfowl hunting and recreational saltwater fishing in Virginia and Maryland that contribute roughly $725 million to the region’s economy. Seafood lovers take note: Chesapeake Bay waters produce some 500 million pounds of seafood worth billions of dollars each year, including blue crab, rockfish and eastern oyster.

Sign the petition to Governor O’Malley and ask him to take strong action on global warming. Our region’s beaches, wildlife, and economy are counting on it.

Thanks for all you do,

Mike Tidwell

Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Networkwww.chesapeakeclimate.org/md