Midcoast temperatures have been colder than those in Nuuk, Greenland, for several weeks now. While the snow and ice blanketing our area seem reminiscent of winters of old, there is a difference. This year’s northeast cold is caused by the warping of the polar vortex, as explained here:
The polar vortex is a large, rotating expanse of cold air that generally swirls over the Arctic. And it’s normally an afterthought.
“The stratospheric polar vortex exists only in winter, and usually has little influence on our weather,” said Francis [Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center].
“But when it is disrupted—which means instead of being strong and circular over the North Pole, it becomes weak, elongated or split,” she said, “it can bolster cold spells like the one happening over the eastern U.S. now.”
Some scientists believe that one cause of the disruption of the polar vortex is melting sea ice. Less ice means that the difference in temperature between the Arctic and areas farther south is not as large. This has the effect of weakening the westward winds of the jet stream.
And “when the jet stream is weaker, it tends to take bigger swings north and south,” Francis said, adding that “those southward dips are what allow the Arctic air to plunge southward.”
There’s reason to believe these disruptions may become more common as the planet continues to heat up.
—“Climate Change Is Fueling Extremes, Both Hot and Cold,” NYTimes, David Gelles
And to the US West there’s a massive snow drought.
And we can expect continued climate instability—because burning things for energy is at the heart of the planet’s warming. And we can’t seem to quit doing that. And while that warming sometimes causes heat waves and droughts, its deeper damage are the extremes that it produces.
Solutions abound: switching to renewables for home heating, ditching internal combustion engines for mass transport or hybrids/EVS, using less energy overall, mindfully capturing rain runoff, turning yards into food gardens so that when extremes threaten our food supply we have local answers.
Concentrating on local solutions and networks of relationships is another way we help one another as extremes deepen.
Update on Energy Coaching and Emergency Preparedness
Bitter cold temperatures during January were a reminder of the need to button up our homes—so they’re cozier in winter and cooler in summer, all while saving on utility bills and reducing greenhouse gas pollution. Thanks to a grant from the state Community Resilience Partnership, households in Rockport and Camden will soon get help to make home energy improvements.
The first cohort of energy coaches, local volunteers who will work in pairs to do home consultations, are finishing up their training and will be available to start in March 2026. If you’re interested in signing up for a free coach visit, submit an online form on the CamdenCAN site or emailenergyprogram@rockportmaine.gov.
Financial Incentives
Across Maine, many state funds allocated to improve home energy efficiency go unused. Only about a third of moderate (Adjusted Gross Income [AGI] of up to $70,000 for individual filers/$100,000 for joint filers) to upper-income households statewide take advantage of Efficiency Maine energy rebates and incentives. And only about one in seven households with low or moderate income access the energy programs and incentives they qualify for. Part of the support energy coaches can provide is to help homeowners understand and apply for all the relevant funding support.
Neighborhood Pods
More than a dozen community members met in January to learn more about “neighborhood preparedness pods,” self-organized groups of folks who can count on each other for support in a disaster. If you’re interested in this approach to strengthening community, watch the last 15 minutes of this Camden Public Library video (starting at about 26 minutes) from a “Camden Talks Climate” event in December.
If you’d like to join the growing list of neighborhood pod leaders in Camden and Rockport, email energyprogram@rockportmaine.gov to receive notice of upcoming events. The next training being offered to pod leaders, municipal staff and other community members is a 1.5-hour Red Cross Training on hands-only CPR and disaster preparedness on February 11 (see calendar, below).
Potluck Wrap Up
On a cold January night we had over 40 folks join us for a warm, welcoming meal at the First Congregational Church in Camden. We feasted on homemade French bread, stews and chilis, broiled fishes and numerous salads and side dishes. After plenty of time to chat with tablemates the group heard about recent CamdenCAN activities and The Anti-Poverty Working Group’s idea of forming a regional Alliance for Social, Environmental, and Economic Justice. (More on that to come.)
The evening’s real treasure was hearing from all gathered about their interests and passions. We live in truly amazing community, as evidenced by the breadth of activities, cares, and concerns raised by those gathered. In no particular order, we heard about:
- an upcoming presentation on February 3 at Merryspring (see calendar listing),
- repairing bikes and ebikes for those in need,
- using tomatoes as a means of bridging political divides (look for April 1 seed festival at Rockport Library),
- Bill McKibben making a visit to Camden, with an event on June 18 at First Congregational Church (read his Here Comes the Sun),
- cooking for The Landing Place and working to help gather material for The Landing Place’s wishlist,
- volunteering for Midcoast Green Burial,
- expanding our understanding by reading Poverty By America and See Poverty, Be the Difference,
- volunteering for our many food pantries, including AIO/Loaves and Fishes Program and the Camden Area Christian Food Pantry,
- end of life guidance,
- a Rockland resident mentioning the promise of Virtual Power Plants (listen here and here),
- program for Rockland fourth graders called Forest Fridays and another project called Leaps of Imagination
- dreams of villages where we all walk instead of drive and have gardens for food that we share.
Shoreland Zoning Resource and Education
Our state DEP has a lot to offer concerning building climate resilience. Recently the Maine DEP and members of Maine’s Climate Change Adaptation Providers Network (CCAP) have published important draft guidance and resources for shoreline protection called the O.U.R. S.H.O.R.E. program. You can access the draft Guide to Nature-Based Shoreline Stabilization Options and other resources HERE.
And there are great resources for Shorefront Property Owners here. (Camden residents will be interested in the 2.3.26 Select Board packet that includes a lengthy discussion of a recent shoreland zoning infraction. See PenBay Pilot article here.)
Upcoming Events
2/3/2026, Tuesday, Noon, Merryspring Nature Center. Paul Stancioff explaining The EN-ROADS Interactive Climate Solutions Simulator. Hybrid event. En-Roads is a sophisticated climate policy simulator, inviting the audience to propose various climate solutions and giving instant feedback on their long-term climate impact. Antendees can explore the impact that dozens of policies—such as electrifying transport, pricing carbon, and improving agricultural practices—have on hundreds of factors like energy prices, temperature, air quality, and sea level rise. See more here.
2/10/2026, Tuesday, 4-5 p.m., Camden Public Library. Resilient Reading Group Discussion. Bring any article or book you’re reading on resilience, sustainability, climate change, or the like. At this session we’ll also be considering what book to read next. Ideas include The Ministry for the Future and Hospicing Modernity.
2/11/2026, Wednesday, 4-5:30 p.m. Rockport. RED CROSS TRAININGS: American Red Cross will hold two trainings: for hands-only CPR and disaster preparedness. Advance registration is required: please email energyprogram@rockportmaine.gov and note the number of people planning to attend.
Concluding Thoughts
Record cold, wind, snow on the ground. It’s been an unusual winter in an unusual time in our country.
Instability abounds.
We stabilize by adding the ballast of community and care. We go back to basics of aiding one another, looking out for one another, and grounding ourselves in the natural world, host to all that is possible.
Our blue planet spins on. We’re in this together.
PS: If you’re looking for a boost about how to do the work our communities need in this moment, have read Emily Atkin’s (Heated): “I don’t know how to do this.”