What do the South Portland fishing shacks, the proposed Yard South development, and the Gorham Connector have in common? These activities all represent the failure of too many people to recognize the reality and finality of climate change.

It’s tough hearing people ask for the fishing shacks and dunes to be rebuilt at Willard Beach, especially since the rush of climate change is now fully unleashed. These people need to face the new reality. The shacks and the dunes are gone; no sea wall will be constructed because it is too late. Ignoring the science behind climate change is no longer possible; pretending that the fossil fuel industry has not been actively destroying the Earth is no longer possible. Building residential skyscrapers next to Bug Light is pure folly based on the flooding and damage conditions in that area after Jan. 13. And, the Gorham Connector glaringly illustrates the incredible gap between awareness of the precipitating factors of climate change and people’s refusal to face the facts.

Cutting down trees and eliminating wetlands accelerates climate change. Solutions to saving Earth include fewer cars so why is the Maine Turnpike Authority so focused on adding an impervious surface to an environmentally pure site? Why not improve and increase public transportation instead?

And finally, cutting down a tree because it lost a branch in the recent ice storm is not helpful — we need more trees if we want to survive on this endangered planet.

Barbara Dee
South Portland

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