America's energy crisis isn't just hurting us at the pump, but it's also causing global warming right here in Maine. A new report documents that the average annual temperature since 2000 in Maine was 1.0°F above the historical average. Burning fossil fuels -- oil, coal and natural gas -- to power cars, homes,and industry produces most U.S. global warming pollution.

While one or two degrees may not seem like much, just as any parent with a sick child knows, even a small rise in temperature can have a big effect. In Maine, we have a lot to lose from global warming, including sea-level rise, retreating sugar maples and more severe weather.

We're at a crossroads on energy, and it's up to the next president to choose a new path.

The good news is that repowering America with clean, renewable energy, like wind and solar power, can curb global warming, break our dependence on fossil fuels and jump-start our flailing economy.

(Por Kathryn Fox, Morning Sentinel, 02/11/2008)