Hearing of the devastating effects of toxic gases in this year’s California wildfires brought to mind that, according to Maine State Fire Marshall Joseph E. Thomas, flashover time in home fires has been reduced from 15 minutes to only five minutes.

How are these hazards related? They are both caused by the present-day preponderance of plastic and man-made materials in our homes and buildings — materials that are made from fossil fuels, are highly flammable, and give off toxic gases when burned. It’s just one more alert to the dangers of excessive dependence of our whole lifestyle and economy on fossil fuels, which receive large government subsidies.

Fortunately, despite the Trump administration’s attempt to walk us back from a transition to a sustainable economy based on renewable energy sources, Congress is once again beginning to look at legislation to deal with the negative effects of fossil fuel use. The 60 members of the House Climate Solutions Caucus, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, are exploring policy options to address our changing climate. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D) are working on a carbon tax bill. A study by Regional Economic Models and commissioned by the Citizen Climate Lobby showed that a revenue neutral carbon tax, which would return all the fees collected to U.S. households equally, could actually increase employment while dramatically cutting carbon emissions.

As a series of hurricanes and wildfires are highlighting the dangers of climate change, let’s urge our legislators, state and federal, to put aside partisanship and search for solutions to our climate dilemma.

Philippa Solomon

Readfield