BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 1, 2021
On Aug. 9, the BDN covered the UN’s climate report, and followed it with stories on action steps, urban heat islands and even an editorial cartoon. As a contributor to that UN report, as well as other assessments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, I implore the BDN not to let the climate crisis leave the front pages. UN Secretary General, António Guterres, calling August’s report “code red for humanity” was neither hyperbole nor opinion. This report is a nearly 4,000-page synthesis based on more than 14,000 scientific articles and nearly 75,000 comments from global experts. It took several years and 234 authors to write. While Maine has made progress with the Climate Council and recent move to divest from fossil fuels, it must continue to lead. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins need to endorse carbon pricing as part of budget reconciliation, and the Maine legislature needs to declare a climate emergency now. Dirigo. ~ Susan Hancock, Freeport