Greenways in Strategies of Mitigation and Adaption to Climate Change: Case Study of State of Maryland, USA

This paper, using the State of Maryland, USA as a case study, draws connections between greenway contributions to the Greenprint Program in MD and the rapidly expanding work on the use of green infrastructure to address climate change. It focuses on recent initiatives that could support the role of greenways in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Maryland established the Climate Change Commission in April 2007 by executive order to develop a plan for reducing the state’s vulnerability to sea level rise and other impacts of climate change. The Maryland Climate Change Commission\u27s Climate Action Plan documented fortytwo mitigation strategies and nineteen adaptation strategies through the development of an implementation plan (Maryland Climate Change Commission (MCCC), 2008). Implications for mitigation and adaption of climate assessments impacts have also been recently published (Boesch, 2008). How can greenways contribute to these mitigation and adaptation strategies? How can greenways contribute to carbon reduction as a mitigation strategy? Emerging markets and systems for carbon sequestration (e.g., Chicago Climate Exchange and The Climate Registry) might be possible opportunities for greenway landscapes. What are the possible management and policy implications for greenways? The Greenprint Program also provides a framework to increase the role of greenways in addressing climate change