A recent opinion piece suggested that belief in global warming has been increasing (“Maine Voices: Let’s hope we’re approaching a public opinion tipping point on climate,” Aug. 13). That belief is a good thing, but in order for things to change, we need people to do more than believe. We also need them to care enough to act.

Four-legged concrete blocks fence off the eastern fringe of Malé island, the capital of the Maldives, in 1997. The archipelago, which is made up of over 1,100 coral islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean, is the lowest-lying nation in the world and particularly vulnerable to climate change. B.K. Bangash/Associated Press, File

I started thinking about this distinction after finishing the book “How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason” by Lee McIntyre. The book included a discussion of climate change. As part of McIntyre’s research, he visited the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world and at the most extreme risk of being submerged as ocean levels rise because of climate change.

In the Maldives, McIntyre didn’t find any climate change deniers. But he did find those who felt that people in other countries simply didn’t care enough to change things.

I know many of us in Maine do care, but simply saying or feeling it isn’t enough. We need to turn our belief and care into action. Reducing emissions in our personal lives is great, but we also need broader change. For that, the best actions we can take are telling our representatives in Congress that addressing climate change is important to us, and to vote for those who will listen and support climate change initiatives. Then keep doing that.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that our lives are on the line. Let’s care and act accordingly.

Erica Bartlett
Portland