John Balentine suggests in his “Magic 8-Ball” column (Here’s Something, Dec. 30) that one warm half-year in Antarctica magically nullifies more than 100 years of climate data. Dear Mr. B: The thermometer is neither Republican nor Democrat. Putting the numbers on a chart or a graph is apolitical. Satellite data showing shrinkage of the 23,300 glaciers in the Himalayas is neither a scam nor partisan.

But, to keep things local, here’s a link to evidence of warming on Mt. Washington: wmur.com/article/mount-washington-warming-climate-change-2022/38655723.

As an avowed conservative, are you not concerned that Maine has $140 million in our current budget to cope with rising sea levels? Fortifying seawalls and raising roadbeds and culverts will eat up all that money. But, cheer up, Massachusetts has $2 billion designated for the same thing this year, as does Connecticut. The finances of coping with climate change are coming due.

I’m sure you are, like all of us, bothered by rising energy prices. One major storm in the Gulf closed down several refineries for weeks, resulting in higher fuel prices. Houston is building a $60 billion dike around industrial areas.

For something positive, one can turn to the Citizens Climate Lobby web page, which offers hope for a simple, powerful change by putting a price on pollution: citizensclimatelobby.org/price-on-carbon.

We can start taking steps today to counter the enormous financial outlays that confront every nation’s coastal infrastructure and budgets both local and national.

David Smith
Portland