I sit, nursing my son, watching the weather report that shows more days of above-average temperatures. On one hand, this makes juggling walking a hyperactive dog with a 3-month-old a lot easier – we can go outside without worry of freezing. I’m sure we are all grateful for the temperate days just as last summer’s severe droughts made it easier to get out. However, I try to temper those feelings because I fear what else is to come. This fear is what gave my husband and me pause when deciding to have a child.

Will he experience a Maine with the climate of the mid-Atlantic? How many poor-air-quality days will there be, or will those be the norm and not the exception? How many ecosystems will be disrupted or destroyed?

Thankfully, Maine, led by the Mills administration and the Maine Climate Council, are taking bold steps to change what might be an otherwise bleak outlook through the Climate Action Plan. The plan will reduce pollution, support renewable-energy projects, assist in improving community resilience and protect natural and working lands, among other things. These actions will enable Maine to improve public health, strengthen the economy and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

In order to put the plan into action, the Maine Legislature needs to pass several bills and bonds this legislative session. Reach out and encourage your lawmakers to make the Climate Action Plan a reality and ensure a habitable Maine, where we can lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

Heather Drake
Cape Elizabeth

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