By Jodi Helmer National Public Radio news story Maple syrup might be ubiquitous in pantries and pancake houses now, but new research suggests that might not always be the case. Climate change could eventually render the sticky stuff extinct. A study published last month in the journal Ecology examined assessed how environmental conditions impacted the Read More
Climate Change
Climate change and global warming pollution harm Maine people, wildlife, and our environment. Global warming, also known as climate change, is caused by a blanket of pollution that traps heat around the earth. This pollution comes from cars, factories, homes, and power plants that burn fossil fuels such as oil, coal, natural gas, and gasoline.
Climate-changing pollution knows no boundaries. It enters the atmosphere, spreads across the globe, and traps heat around the earth for 50-200 years after it is emitted. That is why we need to reduce global warming pollution now, because our children, and their children, will still feel the effects of global warming for years to come. Currently, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at their highest levels in hundreds of thousands of years.
Learn how you can reduce climate-changing pollution and advocate for a cleaner, healthier Maine.
Increased Offshore Drilling is Not the Answer to America’s Energy Future
Bangor Daily News editorial The recent announcement from the Trump administration that it wants to open nearly all U.S. oceans to oil and gas drilling is certainly concerning. But there is not reason to panic, yet. The announcement, from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, is no surprise as the Trump administration is focused on undoing every Read More
Support of LD 1657, An Act to Update the Allowance Budget for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Senator Saviello, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). Thank you for allowing me to present this testimony in support of this legislation. While this bill itself is not—in Read More
Maine Researchers Explore Link Between Climate Change and Lyme Disease
Academic and health care investigators are learning more about the complex web of factors driving the expansion of tick habitat, including global warming. By Joe Lawlor, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The changing climate in Maine caused by global warming is potentially creating new tick habitats and accelerating the spread of Lyme disease, Read More
Collins Draws Ire from Conservation Groups Over Vote on Senate Tax Bill, Allowing Arctic Drilling
by Susan Sharon Maine Public news story As Republicans look to reconcile key differences between the House and Senate versions of their tax bills, one of the flashpoints is around a remote, eastern corner of Alaska — the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, considered one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the country. The Senate Read More
Trump Administration to Hold Sham EPA Hearing to Repeal Clean Power Plan
Stark Contrast with Extensive Public Input to Establish the Plan Statement of Lisa Pohlmann, CEO, Natural Resources Council of Maine “We are deeply disturbed by the Trump Administration’s misguided plan to push through the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, which set the nation’s first limits on carbon pollution from power plants, despite overwhelming public support. Read More
Incentives for Electric Vehicles Provide Alternative to Oil Dependence
By Sean Mahoney, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed As climate change continues to worsen, the price tag from natural disasters and other associated impacts keeps rising. This is a scientific and economic certainty, as recently highlighted by the GAO report issued at the request of Sen. Susan Collins. Unfortunately, the United States’ Read More
Get Your Car Ready for the Ice and Snow in an Eco-friendly Way
Car experts have tips for shrinking your climate-change treadprint in the cold weather while saving you money. by Meredith Goad, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story October may have been the warmest on record in Portland, but most Mainers know that even climate change can’t keep winter at bay for long. One day soon, Read More
As the “Tailpipe of the Nation,” Maine Deserves Cleaner Air
By moving to repeal the Clean Power Plan, Trump is doing the bidding of the coal industry and big polluters. By Conrad Schneider, advocacy director for the Brunswick-based Clean Air Task Force and Jacqueline Guyol, campaign organizer at Environment Maine Portland Press Herald op-ed Last week, the Trump Environmental Protection Agency took steps to eliminate the Read More