Yale survey indicates Mainers losing interest in climate change

MAINE PUBLIC • July 31, 2026

Big majorities of Maine residents believe in global warming, think it is caused by human activities, and that it is harmful. But public interest and concern with global warming slipped in 2025, according to the Yale University Program on Climate Change Communication. Big majorities supported transitioning away from fossil fuels, regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant and building solar and wind power in their local area. Fewer than half of people, however, said they have felt the effects of climate change or believe it will harm them personally. Since President Donald Trump assumed office last year, the federal government has hobbled renewable energy, boosted fossil fuels, stopped publishing some emissions data and obstructed research into climate. Meanwhile, the U.S. and other parts of the world are facing bouts of dangerous heat, wildfires and other disasters made worse by a warming climate.