AUGUSTA — The Seventh Annual Maine Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference is getting underway with a focus on climate change and what it will mean for the state.

The event is bringing together emergency responders, academics and safety professionals for a two-day conference at the Augusta Civic Center that began Tuesday. University of Maine Climate Change Institute Director Paul Andrew Mayewski is delivering this year’s keynote speech, “Journey into Climate and Implications for Maine.” There are also sessions about climate adaptation, the impact of changing climate on emergency response and the future of weather in the state.

The State Emergency Response Commission, Maine Emergency Management Agency and the Maine Association of Local Emergency Managers organized the conference. More than 500 attendees include government officials, school administrators and volunteer groups.