The Maryland Commission on Climate Change released its 2025 annual report Tuesday, offering a new set of recommendations aimed at helping the state meet aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goals while preparing communities for the growing impacts of climate change.

In the 22-page report, the commission outlined both advances and challenges as Maryland works toward mandates set under the state’s Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, which requires a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2006 levels by 2031 and net-zero emissions by 2045.

“Maryland has never shied away from big challenges,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain, who chairs the commission, said in a Tuesday statement. “We will continue to move swiftly, decisively, and collectively to advance climate solutions that are bold and grounded in real-world implementation.”

The commission advises state leaders on strategies to mitigate pollution and adapt to climate change. The group’s recommendations help guide policy development at the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Maryland has already exceeded an earlier benchmark, reducing emissions by 30% by 2020 and surpassing the 25% target set under the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act of 2009. The most recent state inventory shows those reductions were largely maintained through 2023.

The state, however, faces a projected structural budget deficit of more than $1.5 billion by fiscal year 2027, even as the state’s Climate Pollution Reduction Plan estimates roughly $1 billion per year is needed to meet climate mandates. At the same time, federal rollbacks of environmental regulations and clean energy programs could slow emissions reductions nationwide and place greater pressure on states to act independently, according to the report.

The report highlights progress in several sectors, particularly buildings. Maryland has begun implementing policies requiring large existing buildings to meet targets for energy use or greenhouse gas emissions and continues work on clean heat and zero-emission heating equipment rules.

The commission also detailed advances in climate data and planning tools, including the expansion of the Climate Resilience Network, which connects University of Maryland scientists with state and local decision-makers. New and expanded systems, such as Hydronet, a water-level monitoring network, and the Maryland Mesonet, a statewide weather network run by the university, aim to improve forecasting of flooding, sea-level rise and extreme weather, environmental officials said.

State agencies have also expanded the Maryland Coastal Flood Explorer to help local governments visualize future flood risk and guide conservation and hazard planning, according to the report.

Under the Climate Solutions Now Act, four new working groups were added to the commission to address issues such as energy resilience, workforce transitions and solar panel recycling. Although staffing and budget limitations delayed their work, all four groups have now submitted required studies and are no longer meeting unless reconvened, the authors of the report said.

The commission is urging state agencies and universities to assess the impact of eliminated or weakened federal environmental regulations and identify where Maryland might need to adopt its own rules to fill regulatory gaps.

The panel also called for a revamped Climate and Health Profile Report, which examines how climate change affects human health, by 2027. Enhanced flood-risk disclosure requirements in property transactions were also recommended so buyers and renters are informed earlier about past flooding and future risks.

Other recommendations include protecting the Strategic Energy Investment Fund for clean energy and low-income utility assistance, exploring a low-carbon fuel standard for transportation, accelerating heat pump deployment and workforce training and evaluating an economywide cap-and-invest program to limit emissions while shielding low-income households from higher costs.

Although the commission’s recommendations focus on long-term climate and energy policy, Maryland households are already grappling with near-term cost pressures tied to the state’s energy system.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. ratepayers will see a smaller bill increase than the utility requested after state regulators on Monday denied about half of the company’s bid to recover $152.3 million in under-collected costs from 2023. The Maryland Public Service Commission approved recovery of $77.2 million, with higher charges taking effect in February and running through the end of 2027.

Under the decision, the average residential customer’s bill is expected to rise about 72 cents per month for electricity and $1.95 per month for gas.

In Maryland, long-term temperatures have risen about 2.2 degrees per century since 1895, according to the report. The state experienced a warmer-than-average spring and summer in 2025, along with periods of drought and intense rainfall.

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