BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 15, 2024
For many parts of Maine this year, winter is already a distant memory. Without significant changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally — and quickly — winters in Maine are likely to keep changing. February’s snowfall in Bangor was the smallest on record since 1926, when official tallies began. In January, coastal Maine was hit by back-to-back wind and rainstorms that swept away buildings, eroded beach fronts and closed parks. Not only was 2023 the warmest year in NOAA’s 174-year climate record — it was the warmest by far. Scientists have been warning for years that urgent action is needed to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. Relatively snowless winters, winter floods and rising ocean temperatures are more evidence that we need to do much more before it is too late.