Like many, I was excited to read the recent announcement that scientists have achieved the dream of producing more energy from a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it.

I hope this will one day help us solve our energy needs, but I worry that people will forget we need to act on climate change now, not a few decades (or more) in the future.

We’re already seeing so many impacts from global warming, much sooner than expected. Effects in Maine aren’t as drastic as some other areas, but we’re seeing noticeable changes. Sea-level rise, warming in the Gulf of Maine, more tick-borne illnesses and more.

Our weather is also changing. As of mid-December, we only had a light cover of snow in Portland, when the average is to have around 6 inches by now, and the month started with surprisingly warm days. It makes me wonder if we’ll have any winter to speak of in a few more decades.

So, while fusion is exciting to think about, I urge people not to get distracted. Fusion isn’t a silver bullet, but the good news is, as a friend of mine puts it, we have lots of silver buckshot. Things like reducing deforestation, increasing renewable-energy production, electrifying everything, making our homes energy efficient and regenerative agriculture.

Keeping the focus on using this “buckshot” may not be as exciting, but it’s much more likely to help us address climate change in the short term.

Erica Bartlett
Portland

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