To the editor:
Several years ago, former Vice President Al Gore wrote a book titled “An Unfortunate Truth.” He was spreading the message about climate change. He is still talking to other groups of people about this serious problem.
We have a president that believes weather and climate change are the same thing. It is quite obvious they are not. A member of Congress went outside and made a snowball, brought it back inside and pompously stated, “There is your climate change.”
Fact: The governor of Florida passed a law that you could not mention climate change.
Fact: While the people in Paradise, California, are being literally burned alive, here in northern Maine we are inundated with snow, sleet and rain.
Fact: One senator said he is not a scientist, he says he doesn’t know anything about climate change. Why not ask one?
Fact: In northern Finland, far above the Arctic Circle, they had a temperature of 90 degrees — in reindeer country.
Fact: Rats are thriving on warmer temperatures; larger cities, even posh neighborhoods are overrun with them. One female rat can create up to 18,000 rats in one year. Their gestation period is 14 days. After only one month a newborn rat can become pregnant.
Fact: Hydrologists tell us that in 20 years, there will not be enough water to grow crops.
Fact: As our planet grows warmer, insects will thrive and be able to devour up to 50 percent of our crops. Costs of food will rise drastically.
The list goes on and on.
There is some good news. Perhaps a heavy tax on carbon producers? This may prevent them from spewing carbon into our atmosphere.
I will not be here. My descendants will be. I am concerned about them — my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren.
The sad fact is there is no “planet B.” Contact your Congress members. Your voice does count. Your vote does count. Tell them if they don’t do something, your political support will end.
These are dangerous times, but the greatest danger of all is to do nothing.
Kenneth “Pat” Nelson
Fort Fairfield
