PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 1, 2025
The recent trend of hotter and more polluted summers — Maine’s changing climate is making us sick. Five years ago, I polled physicians in Maine, and 78% said that climate change poses a threat to the health of their patients. Since this study was done, the U.S. has experienced three of its hottest years on record, and 2025 is likely to end up in the top four, so Maine’s clinicians are no doubt seeing even more of these health impacts today. Instead of undermining American science and public health, disinvesting in medical care and emergency response and retreating from our climate leadership roles and obligations, we need to recognize that climate action improves our health, and that is a necessary outcome for all of us. ~ Gail Carlson, associate professor at Colby College, teaches and conducts research on environmental public health