BRATTLEBORO — April arrives. Sugaring is over, at least in southern Vermont. Winter is a dim memory; predicted snow failed to arrive, and rains were common.
As a winter lover, I remember the snows we used to have. Faulty memory? Embellishment of the past? I think not. Studies and statistics confirm my memories.
The Vermont Climate Assessment is a study put out by the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont in 2021. It found that many customs and hallmarks of life in our state are being impacted by climate change. Prominent among them are sugaring, skiing, and long winters.
These are not only hallmarks of our culture; climate change will impact an economy dependent on winter recreation and the maple industry.
The statistics bear these changes out.
According to the report, the state's average annual temperature has warmed by nearly 2 degrees F, and winter temperatures have increased 2.5 times faster than annual temperatures over 60 years.
Since the 1960s, annual snowfall has decreased, while winter precipitation has increased as rain. The number of days that are freeze-free has increased by three weeks since 1960.
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These are well-observed changes, experienced by those of us who have lived in Vermont for a long time.
Snow sports are affected by shorter seasons and unpredictable temperatures and conditions. Downhill skiing, currently dependent on snowmaking, will become more so, and the season will be shortened by up to a month by 2080.
Close to home, the Brattleboro Outing Club cross-country ski program had only 36 ski days this season, down from 55 days last year and from 70 days in 2020. While this statistic could fluctuate in the years to come, I believe it illustrates the statistics from the climate report.
Climate change will affect the location and timing of sugaring and how syrup is made. Maple trees are already affected by warm temperatures, changes in freeze-thaw cycles, and increased precipitation. These changes will present challenges for sugar makers.
These are sobering statistics. Even more sobering is the prediction that extreme weather events such as droughts and floods will continue and intensify.
As an elected legislature, we need to take responsibility to address and limit the carbon emissions that contribute to a changing climate, while also planning ways to make us more resilient in the face of these changes.
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In 2019, the Vermont Legislature passed the Global Warming Solutions Act, requiring that the state set ambitious emission-reduction goals and actually adhere to them. An appointed Climate Council produced a Climate Action Plan that defined goals and pathways for reaching these goals.
The transportation sector, accounting for 40 percent of our state's greenhouse gas emissions, is one area the Climate Action Plan identified for transformation.
For several years, state policies have incentivized the purchase of electric vehicles for low- and moderate-income Vermonters and have accelerated other transportation options to reduce reliance on individual gasoline-powered vehicles. We need 170,000 light-duty electric vehicles by 2030 to meet our climate goals. That is a significant number, requiring significant investments.
With these goals in mind, I and several colleagues on the House Transportation Committee put forth the Transportation Innovation Act (H.552). It includes hefty incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles and electric bicycles, a specific program to help low-income people buy more fuel-efficient vehicles, and funding to deploy electric-vehicle charging stations.
We set priorities to continue providing free public transit, and added funding for grants to help communities study how to offer more accessible transit options.
Many of the proposals in H.552 found their way into this year's omnibus Transportation Bill, H.736, which passed the House unanimously at the end of March and is being considered by the Senate.
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I have spent 14 years on the House Transportation Committee working to encourage the kind of thinking about transportation that promotes all modes and that considers the impact of our carbon emissions.
Finally, this year, I believe we have a bill that reflects this. It calls for the largest investments we have ever made to get us on our way to the transformation and electrification of our transportation system.
They are still not enough. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. According to scientists, we have little time to do so.
But this would be a start. Along the way, these measures will definitely improve air quality and help low- and middle-income people lower their transportation costs.
This transportation policy will not bring back the same kind of winters I loved. We will have to adapt. We will have to invest in mitigation as well as electrification. What we accomplish together in Vermont does very little in relation to this global problem.
But our efforts will certainly inspire other states to do the same.
And in the absence of meaningful federal action, that might make a difference.