Summer in Maine is undoubtedly our best season, as the throngs of tourists coming “from away” can attest. While much of our natural landscape is wonderful, blackflies, ticks and now a surge of browntail moths make enjoying the outdoors less pleasant. Milder winters and early springs as a result of climate change impact our flora and fauna, such as this year’s early thaw which killed off the fungus that usually keeps the browntail moth population under control. Similar problems occur with blackflies, which hatch earlier and lay more eggs, or ticks who spread Lyme disease further as temperatures warm.

While all these pests make inroads, our favorite almost-insect, the lobster, begins to leave and move northward, as the Gulf of Maine warms. While we are already feeling the effects of climate change, more serious consequences can be mitigated if we take effective action immediately. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 2307), co-sponsored by Rep. Pingree represents a critical first step in addressing these problems, we must push our other members of congress to support this important piece of legislation.

Luke Bartol,
Manchester