The next decade is a critical time for the planet. Scientists say there will need to be a rapid, transformational shift away from fossil fuels to renewable energy to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. That's the threshold that avoids the most catastrophic effects of climate change. Can the world meet the challenge? And what are we, all of us, prepared to do about it?

To protect life as we know it, we'll need to be climate driven — and that's the name of an ambitious project our newsroom is undertaking over the next year and beyond.

We'll focus on climate change in Maine one county at a time. That means taking a deep dive into the effects of climate change on diverse regions of the state — the coast, the western mountains, the North Woods, Down East — and reporting not only what the science tells us but what communities, businesses and individuals are doing (or not) to prepare for the future that's unfolding.

We've planned this project as a road trip using an electric car and we hope you'll follow along. We'd also like to hear from you. If you've got a story idea in one of Maine's 16 counties or if you'd like to send us feedback, drop us a line at tellmemore@mainepublic.org.