Vote like the planet depends on it

Fact: Our planet is in peril. As the planet warms, here in Vermont our snowy winters turn rainy. Our riverbanks choke and collapse on invasive Japanese knotweed. Ticks overcome our quiet walkways. And maple sugaring production runs dry.

Farther afield, wildfires ravage California and Australia. In California, the 2019 wildfire season displaced thousands from their homes, burned more than 250,000 acres, and cost about $80 billion in damage and economic losses. And that wasn’t even the worst fire season — in 2018, fires burned 1.8 million acres and 1.3 million in 2017.

Last week we watched in horror as Australia bushfires trapped hundreds of tourists and residents on the Victoria coast beaches, while ash rained down and the skies turned angry red. The mind boggles to think that half a billion animals perished in southeast Australia’s wildfires last week, including a third of the koala population.

Let’s not forget the Amazon, one of the world’s crucial carbon stores, where more than a record 80,000 forest fires burned this year, spewing millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

2019 was the year the world burned. What will 2020 be?

Scientists tell us we now have only a decade remaining to save our planet from irreversible damage due to global warming.

That means we cannot put off tomorrow what we can do today. Every action matters. Every bit of warming matters. Every choice matters.

One of the best ways to make a difference is to make sure that our elected representatives prioritize climate issues. Choose the candidate who will act on climate. Choose the candidate who doesn’t make empty promises but rather puts forth and supports proposals that truly address the climate crisis.

Vote like the planet depends on it. Vote like your kids and grandkids depend on it. Vote your conscience.

Come November, cast a ballot for the place we call home.

Catherine Crawley

Marina Meerburg

Stowe