Every day, we hear more evidence that changes in the global climate are real and threatening: New examples of extreme weather, the alarming rate of species extinction, and the melting of the West Arctic Ice Sheet that could result in a sea level rise of 12 feet by 2100.

Some changes feel more immediate and close to home: Ocean acidification that threatens our shellfish industry (studies by the University of Maine suggest that the juvenile lobster population has fallen by more than half since 2007), an increase in ticks that suck the life blood from the state’s moose and temperature spikes that increase the risk of asthma and stroke.

One has to be willfully blind to deny the evidence shown us by thousands of scientist across the globe, but we do not have to passively shrug our shoulders and let the worst happen.

There are two main culprits in the United States that emit the greenhouse gases driving these changes in our oceans and atmosphere: automobiles and power plants.

Fortunately, the Obama administration is more enlightened about environmental issues than is ours here in Maine. Obama already has issued orders to reduce auto emissions and has announced a major initiative to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants.

The rules are flexible regarding how the reduction can be achieved, such as reducing consumer demand, investing in carbon-free generation, and developing carbon capture and storage techniques. Even one of the worst polluters in the country admits that it can install equipment that will enable it to comply with environmental regulations without passing the cost on to consumers (newspaper, “Polluter survives coal war,” May 29).

I urge others to join with me in urging Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King to support these carbon dioxide emission standards for existing power plants.

Melanie Lanctot, Readfield

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