Let me begin this month’s column by thanking readers for responding to some of my comments in earlier articles. My columns are written from the perspective of someone who is not a scientist or an expert in any field, but from my vantage point of reading and learning for more than 20 years from various sources concerning the Earth’s environment.

During those years, scientific evidence has continually become more certain of not only the fact that the Earth is warming, but that most of the warming is caused by humans. If one is to take the position of saying that the evidence is not ironclad proof of warming, we take the critical risk of waiting until it is entirely too late to make the changes necessary to avert the disasters that surely will be visited upon us. I’ve seen the graphs showing the cooling and warming over the millenniums, and it is clear to me that the most recent warming trends are unprecedented.

But why worry about Earth’s warming? Can’t we use a little warming here in Maine? The answer is complicated and very scary. Let me list some of the ways that we here in the Lakes Region could be affected:

Over the past 200 years, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased by 30 percent, and it will remain there for centuries, trapping heat and putting our health and the health of the planet at risk. As Arctic ice continues to melt at an alarming rate, we may also find our wells being polluted with salt water, low-lying property getting flooded, increasing rates of Lyme Disease, and more of our children suffering from severe cases of asthma as ground level ozone concentrations rise. Already, sea levels along Maine’s coast are rising at double previous rates, leading to an increasing threat to Maine’s coastal communities. Several more cottages at Camp Ellis succumbed to the most recent storm in April. Our maple trees are already being negatively affected by the warmer temperatures. Scientists tell us that the maple trees will gradually “walk” further north to seek the cooler temperatures needed for their survival. Maine needs the income generated by those maple trees!

At a recent workshop at Chewonki Institute which my husband attended, he learned from climate change experts there that if a Class 3 hurricane were to hit New York City, the damages would far outweigh the damages inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. Who will be paying for all the costs of rebuilding? Of course, in the end it will be all of us, as we are forced to pay ever-higher prices for insurance. Now, I don’t relish living in fear of these impending storms, but neither am I one to sit on my hands and just wait in hopes that things aren’t really as bad as “they say it is.”

While average global temperatures have increased by 1 degree Fahrenheit, temperatures in Maine appear to be rising at a much higher rate. For example, over the last century, the average temperature in Lewiston has increased 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Get ready to buy an air conditioner so you can sleep at night, but be forewarned that the price of electricity is going the way of the price of gasoline, as our energy prices continue to climb out of sight.

Of course, here in Maine, contrary to what some believe, solar can be an attractive alternative if your house is situated in such a way as to receive the most direct sunlight. Last year, the state of Maine had a small pool of money to defray the cost of purchasing solar panels, and they are hoping to increase that pot of money substantially in the future. Why not build every new house with solar panels on the roof?

At Chewonki, a solar manufacturer showcased a new design that collected the heat to convert to energy, and the extra heat can be used to heat your hot water. Once our government decides to stop subsidizing the oil industry and begins subsidizing renewable energy, it will unleash the genius needed to produce new technologies for our energy needs. And it will create more jobs as well.

It is true that the Earth will survive (unless we blow it up with our arsenal of nuclear weapons) and humans may survive even if we continue to use up every last bit of our energy reserves. But the inhabitants of Easter Island didn’t survive. The culture of the Mayan Indians didn’t survive when they outgrew their food source. Some small island nations are currently having to desert their homes as the sea levels rise.

So, say it. I’m the bearer of very bad news. We are at a crossroads never before experienced by any society in the history of the world. Yes, our economy is threatened. Yes, our health is threatened. Yes, our food supply is threatened. Our very way of life is threatened. What are we willing to personally do to mitigate some of the awaiting disaster?

Sally Breen lives in Windham.