On June 9, the editorial board of this paper printed an excellent editorial: “Mitigation of climate change must not be lost to its management.” The article states that it is important that governments protect us from the horrifying and costly effects of our warming climate and make storm relief available to Maine residents as quickly as possible after an extreme event. More important, all levels of government must concede that climate action is urgently needed to halt the cause of global warming and move as quickly as possible to aid the transition to clean energy.
Most important is passage of effective, federal climate legislation that halts the continuing rise in global average temperatures: an economywide plan to phase out the burning of fossil fuels.
The evidence of extreme weather is here now. Two of many related articles in this week’s paper:
1. “Maine home insurance rates are rising. Blame climate change,” June 20. Due to extreme storms that have pounded Maine, losses are forcing insurance companies to increase Maine homeowner premiums by an average of 19%. Without strong federal policies, storm losses will continue to increase.
2. “Shelter from the swelter,” June 19. The heat index exceeded 100 degrees in most of the state for three days. Extreme heat kills people and melts infrastructure, causing electricity outages when customers need air conditioning.
Be an informed voter. Use trusted sources. Search candidates’ websites to see their views on environment and energy. Ask questions at candidate’s town halls and other election events. Vote.
Dorothy Jones
Brunswick
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