So, getting married was sufficient to fully distract me from thoughts of climate change. Hence the blog hiatus. We had an incredible wedding: perfect weather, wonderful friends and family, delicious food, beautiful place. It was better than I dared to hope.
Now I'm back to the grind. I just began working on a research project looking at various transportation and growth scenarios in Maine towns. Today I got to read about trains. Cool! I started fantasizing about trains as the new "bling." Billionaires are spending millions on boats these days - why not trains? Mike, my husband (ahhh!), once helped to build a $65 million boat. How much cooler would it be to have a train? Way longer than a limo! And no more getting stuck in traffic with the plebes ;). The train project I read about today would extend the commuter rail from Portland up to Brunswick. It would cost about $60 million. So, hypothetically, some billionaire (the same sort who would buy a $65 million boat) could chip in $60 million to rehabilitate the commuter line. I'm sure for an extra $5 million he/she could have a sweet, pimped-out private car. And he could credit himself (or herself) for offsetting tons of carbon by getting people out of their cars and into public transportation. Now that's bling!
I also re-read Maine's Climate Action Plan (written in 2004). And I read the most recent progress report (released in December 2007). Though undoubtedly written through rose-colored glasses, the progress report was upliftingly optimistic. Though some action items had failed, others are now expected to surpass original emission-reduction estimates. It concluded that Maine is on track to meet its emission reduction goals by 2010 and 2020. Though I take this report with at least a few grains of salt (it's basically a self evaluation), I allowed myself to be taken in at least somewhat, just for the fun of it. I allowed my cynicism to dissipate and revel in state government actually doing something - a stakeholder process turning into an actual plan, at least some of which is actually implemented, perhaps even producing actual results! A government taking action on climate change and making actual progress!! Good climate news? As Michael Franti sings, "tell me lies, lies, lies, sweet little lies - help me make them all come true." There's some truth in that...
Maybe I'm just still giddy from getting married, but, hey, today's climate musings put me in a good mood. I'm gonna roll with it...
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