PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 12, 2026
Americans underestimate public support for major climate policies. Maine shows how quickly climate solutions spread when neighbors talk to neighbors. The state hit its goal of 100,000 new heat pumps two years early. Staying quiet cedes the debate to a determined, well-funded minority. In February, the Trump administration repealed the EPA finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health. Officials will keep treating climate as a losing issue until the majority tells and shows them otherwise. ~ Thomas S. Bateman, professor emeritus of organizational behavior and leadership at University of Virginia, Rockport