WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
Think Snow (Ask Lawmakers to Protect Our Winters)
By Laurie Manos
For so many Mainers, winters are about snow. Whether it be Alpine or Nordic skiing, snowshoeing or snowmobiling, or simply enjoying the beauty and serenity of snow from the comfort of your home, snow is a part of our Maine culture and our economy. Yet due to the effects of climate change, we find ourselves waiting longer each year for winter sports to get into full swing. This year has been like no other, with drenching and damaging rainstorms bringing mountain operations to a halt and taking weeks to recover from.
It’s not your imagination. Maine is warming, winters are getting shorter, and it’s not just Maine. In terms of the global average temperature, 2023 was the hottest year on record… by a lot!
The global average temperature in 2023 has already reached +1.5 degrees Celsius. This is the temperature that just a decade ago 198 countries agreed in the Paris Climate Accord that we should not exceed in order avoid severely damaging consequences of climate change. They were right. The storms are stronger, wetter, and more frequent, and winters are less snowy.
While staying below +1.5 degrees Celsius is no longer an option, we still have a chance to stay below the secondary goal of less than +2.0 degrees Celsius to avoid more devastating and costly consequences. But we need to act quickly and wisely.
Energy Innovation Act
Numerous climate models, over 3,500 economists, and climate scientists agree that the fastest and surest way to avoid +2.0 degrees Celsius is to charge a fee for carbon pollution from fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil) at their source. This smart, market-based solution will speed up the transition to clean energy like wind and solar and encourage funding and development of new solutions yet to be fully realized.
Congress should pass the Energy Innovation Act (HR5744) as soon as possible to ensure a healthy, prosperous, and snow-filled future. Winter recreation may be a first world amenity in the Northeast USA, but melting glaciers and diminishing snowpack threaten the survival of millions globally.
Here’s the good news. Skiing is big business in Maine and our ski resort owners and managers are smart. That’s why so many of them have already endorsed a carbon fee and dividend policy like the Energy Innovation Act. They know that this policy is their best and possibly last hope for sustaining a vibrant ski industry in Maine.
Join Me – Show your support for the Energy Innovation Act
Every major ski resort in the state is on board, including Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Pleasant Mt, and Saddleback, and the national non-profit, Protect Our Winters, is also a strong proponent of cashback carbon pricing.
If you love or depend on snow, I hope that you too will join them, me, and the Citizens’ Climate Lobby in supporting the Energy Innovation Act. You can quickly and easily show your support for this bill right now by following this link:
Write Congress: The Energy Innovation Act (citizensclimatelobby.org).
Thank you and Think Snow!
Laurie Manos is a resident of Harpswell, Maine, Sugarloafer, CCL member, and concerned climate advocate. As a former chemist, MBA, and business executive, she has seen firsthand how essential strong federal and international policy agreements are in solving sweeping environmental problems. She hopes the USA will join every other developed nation in the world by putting a price on carbon before it’s too late.
