Thank you for your June 14 article “‘Exceptional’ rainstorm heavily damages carriage roads at Acadia National Park.” You clearly articulate the effects of the storm, and your graphics are very helpful in visualizing the blow that this represents to Acadia.

The cause of the damage – an exceptional amount of water dumped exceptionally quickly – bears the fingerprints of climate change. In the past 30 years, the Gulf of Maine has heated up 5 degrees because of climate change. The warmer water and air lead to more evaporation. Storms carry more water, and dump it more quickly.

People talk about the costs of stopping climate change, but such talk misses two key points. First, the costs of inaction are huge and growing. Second, we can take action in a way that adds jobs and puts money in our pockets. If we make fossil fuel companies pay a fee for the social cost of the greenhouse gases from their products, all carbon-intensive products would get more expensive. People would buy more low-carbon products and services, and businesses would provide more of them.

If we distribute the money collected from the fee to all Americans as a “carbon dividend,” most people – especially low- and middle-income people – would actually make money on the deal.

Rep. Chellie Pingree has signed on to this “carbon fee and dividend” legislation, HR 2307. Let’s thank her and ask Rep. Jared Golden, Sen. Angus King and Sen. Susan Collins to support it, too. Addressing climate change while creating jobs and putting money in our pockets – now, that’s exceptional!

Ted Obbard
Southwest Harbor