The Press Herald provided a tremendous service with publication of a well-researched series of articles on the plight of the Gulf of Maine (“Mayday: Gulf of Maine in distress,” Oct. 25-30) – a consequence of global warming. Now the big question is: What are we going to do with that information?

Global warming isn’t some nebulous concept. The Earth is warming because so many human activities rely on the energy from fossil fuels; it is undeniable that their combustion products trap heat as “greenhouse gases.”

Fortunately for the planet, there are some promising trends. Canadians have chosen a new prime minister, who is not wedded to the idea of oil exports. TransCanada has just suspended its application for the Keystone pipeline. Shell Oil has withdrawn from exploration in the Arctic. The Environmental Protection Agency is promulgating new emission standards for power plants.

Here in Maine, given what we now know about the Gulf of Maine and its impact on so many families, one would think that change would come quickly. Habits of a lifetime are hard to break, though.

People continue to buy gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs. Developers continue to build homes with little regard for renewable energy. Town officials are still trying to connect schools and public buildings to natural gas.

Social movements are always frustratingly slow to gain momentum. Nevertheless, once they gain a critical mass, they tend to become unstoppable. In 2011, my wife and I installed our first solar array. Since then, there have been four more in our neighborhood.

And recently I called a friend about attending our college reunion in the spring. We had not spoken in 50 years, but within the first minute of our exchange, he had asked me if I had installed solar panels.

Not a tipping point, but progress.

Joe Hardy

Wells

Copy the Story Link