KENNEBEC JOURNAL • April 22, 2020
On the first Earth Day in 1970, I picked up trash along a highway. I was young, idealistic, expecting we’d save the planet. I still pick up roadside trash, but I’ve lost some idealism. The current administration is reversing the environmental gains of the past half century. Scientists assure us we are now basically going to hell, based on catastrophic warming of the atmosphere, melting glaciers and sea-level rise, and pollution from our use of fossil fuels. Many species are going extinct. We often focus on the actions of President Donald Trump, a dedicated climate-change denier. It’s not just Trump. Our nation has simply not done enough to head off climate catastrophe. On Earth Day, I will be grateful for the soft wind and longer daylight, when hope itself can spring anew, and the peepers sing in the pond. My family will plant a peach tree. ~ Steve Cartwright , Tenants Harbor