The city of Portland is partnering with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to prepare for the effects of climate change. The city council and the research organization will share data and collaborate on climate resiliency work.
Mayor Mark Dion announced the formal partnership Wednesday on a recently renovated wharf where GMRI has raised a bulkhead wall by 1.5 feet to protect against sea level rise and future storms.
The formal partnership commits both organizations to data sharing, collaborative grant applications and joint work on coastal resilience and working waterfront protection. The collaboration will focus on protecting Portland's working waterfront and coastal areas from sea level rise, as well as meeting sustainability goals like electrification.
"The partnership commits GMRI to provide our scientific research to the city so that they can take action on climate resilience," said GMRI President Glenn Prickett. "And it's a great partnership, because without action, the science doesn't have impact, but without the science we bring, the city can't make the best decisions around how to how to build resilient infrastructure."
As part of the partnership, GMRI installed 10 new public EV chargers in their lot on Commercial Street and have piloted the city's first public electric boat charger. It also created an educational walking tour as part of the collaboration. Scannable signs throughout the city highlight how Portland is tackling climate change, including markers that show where sea level rise may be by year 2100.
Dion said the accurate data the institute can provide is essential for making policy decisions around climate change.
"It's a public handshake about how we're going to move forward together," he said. "They're scientists. I'm not. They can collect data and give an opinion about what kind of policy initiations we can consider as a city council, which we should budget for the equipment and technology that will be necessary not only to protect and preserve but to expand the capacity of our harbor."
Dion said he moved to Portland in the 1970s and has seen his fair share of flooding over the years — and he doesn't want to wait any longer to take meaningful action on climate resilience.
"I mean, I want everyone's grandkids to say they made the right choices for us," said Dion. "We might not see the result of this work immediately, because we didn't get here quick, so getting out of this will take longer, but I'm confident that we can lay a foundation so that Portland remains a true Harbor City."
Dion says that if the collaboration is a success, they could create a blueprint for other coastal communities to follow.
