When Inherent Beauty Meets Inherent Destruction
Jan 16, 2024
Some truths are hard to hold simultaneously: we live in a gorgeous corner of the planet, on the edge of a vast, teeming ocean; we live at the edge of a vast, destructive force known as the ocean.
We’ve known the wildness was there—we’ve seen other towns and cities around the world also devastated by the ocean (or wildfires, or droughts, or melting).
In the last week this destruction has come home: working waterfronts destroyed; iconic properties floated out to sea.
Force of Nature.
It’s a phrase we use for humans with off-the-scale attributes.
This week we’ve witnessed the force of nature itself destroy human-made structures.
What we’ve seen this week amplifies another truth we’ve known: humans have wielded great power, destabilizing the atmospheric balance—which has unleashed these forces of nature—and at the same time humans have the force, and power, to reverse the course of the current rapid atmospheric change (also known as global warming, i.e., the climate crisis).
Yet only if we act. Now. Not tomorrow.
And for those who love Camden, there are ample actions available.
What You Can Do
- Talk about what you saw here this week and how things are changing—with your family, friends, children, parents. (Listen to Katherine Hayhoe’s TED Talk to find out why this is so important.)
- Reach out to those who are affected (and if you are reading this, you have been affected). The Island Institute will be posting a list of nonprofits helping in the face of the destruction.
- Use the energy of the emotions brought on by the downtown flooding to:
—figure out what you value—this will direct you to ways you can contribute;
—read a book or article, or listen to a podcast about climate science—with all hands on deck, the science shows we can create a climate-stable future. Check out five key ways you can help.
—learn how others living in climate-devastated areas are coping: read At Home on an Unruly Planet, by Madeline Ostrander. - commit to one less ICE (internal combustion engine) car trip per week
- check out your banking and investment portfolios—do they support the fossil-fuel industry? (See the work of Third Act.)
- get up to speed on Maine resources that talk about climate change, sea-level rise, and what we can expect in terms of future downtown flooding.
- download the 2024 Maine Guide to Climate Incentives (IRA, Efficiency Maine rebates for EVs, weatherization, solar, etc.)
- learn about the relationship between our food system and the climate crisis
- listen to past CamdenCAN panels: Where Does Camden Stand On Climate Action? [it takes a few minutes to get to the video, be patient!], What Are Camden’s Neighbors Doing on Climate Action? or Camden, the Climate Crisis, and You.
- ask the town of Camden to create a climate contingency fund in its budget sessions (January 25 workshop—not sure there will be public comment, but we should all listen to see if the select board prioritizes climate work)
- be a green citizen of Camden: show up at a select board meeting, and in the first part of the meeting, during the “non-agenda items,” ask them to act on the report outlining the possibilities of more municipal solar panels; or ask them to apply for grants for EV chargers; or ask the planning board to insist on Stretch Codes
- support CamdenCAN’s work by forwarding this newsletter to a neighbor or friend
- become a CamdenCAN climate activist—email us to volunteer
Parker Gassett’s Talk on Creating Resilient Coastal Communities
Parker spoke to a full house, with more folks attending on zoom. He let us know we have everything we need to make Camden resilient to climate change. Check out the Maine Community Resilience Workbook. You can find his slides here. We’ll post the link to his talk once the CPL has posted it.
Upcoming CamdenCAN Events
1/18/24, 1 pm-230 pm, Picker Room, CPL, Camden Conversation Circle. Join others concerned about our climate future in small facilitated conversation circles. There’ll be resources for guided discussion (podcasts, articles, and books). The goal is to help one another explore living in this remarkable period. Making connections about climate is a powerful way to build resilience. Free and open to all! See the CPL event page.
2/1/ and 2/15 at 1-230 pm, and 2/21 and 3/6 at 500-545 pm, Picker Room, CPL, Camden Conversation Circles. See above.
2/22/24, 530-730 pm, Camden Community Potluck, at Congregational Church. Community resilience is built by getting to know one another. Mark you calendar now—more details to follow.
Other Upcoming Opportunities
1/19/24, 1200-100 pm, Maine Conservation Voters Lunch and Learn: Maine’s Path to Zero-Emission Cars and Trucks. Maine’s 2021 Clean Transportation Roadmap called for the adoption of Advanced Clean Cars II standards to gradually ramp up adoption of zero-emission vehicles and reduce emissions. Join Josh Caldwell of the Natural Resources Council of Maine to learn more about updated clean car and truck standards. REGISTER
2/1/24, 630 pm, Camden Middle School, Fish Tales, a public forum on sea-run fish, and their impact on our environment.
2/7/24, 12 noon, webinar. Project Drawdown Building better for the climate. For the first Ignite webinar of 2024, join Project Drawdown scientist Amanda Smith as she explores how buildings contribute to climate change and what can be done to reduce their impact. Register now >>
2/21/24, 600 pm at the Rockport Public Library. Rockport Conservation Commission presents Brian Robinson on home weatherization and the climate crisis.
Free Online Electric Boat Course. From the Island Institute, Kennebec Valley Community College, Mid-Coast School of Technology, Maine Electric Boat Company, and Bayside Marine. LEVEL 1 – ELECTRIC BOAT MOTOR: FOUNDATIONS. Requirements: Intended for a general audience, ages 15 and up. No prior marine engine experience needed, just a desire to learn about electric boats. Description: Provides an introduction to electric boats to help the general public and those already in the field gain an understanding of the benefits of electric boats and potential career opportunities in the sector. LEARN MORE
Concluding Thoughts
We’re writing this in the wake of two devastating back-to back storms, and the holiday that commemorates one of our country’s greatest leaders.
This is a time of great uncertainty, and a time of grief.
We need climate leaders for our community—folks to step up and out of their comfort zones to speak, write, and act passionately to reverse the trend of the warming world.
It is not too late.
And you can be that leader.
Start now.
Gather your strength, find your voice, fight for the planet.
We live in a paradox. We’ve damaged the world we rely on for life—it provides the air we need to breath and the water we need to drink—and even though we’ve destroyed the Earth’s atmospheric balance—we are also the solution.
No one is coming to save us.
It’s up to us—you, and me—to reverse the course of the climate crisis in Camden.
It’s not too late. The only thing that makes it too late is our inaction.
“Later is too late.”