Jeff Marks is executive director of ClimateWork Maine.

2025 was a tough year for climate action. National priorities shifted, energy incentives were cut and climate mitigation and adaptation programs were phased out. Offshore wind faced major hurdles from inflation and high interest rates, supply chain constraints and new federal policies and executive orders that paused or halted projects.

New laws and rolled-back tax credits, grid interconnection delays, land use conflicts, increased tariffs and materials and manufacturing constraints pressured new renewable project launches. The electric vehicle industry achieved rapid technological advancements but slammed into major economic, charging infrastructure, policy and consumer-related barriers.

These changes pushed activity to the state and local levels, forcing businesses, government and communities to learn how to work together more collaboratively.

The impacts of climate change are palpable in Maine. Winters grow shorter. Ice thaws more quickly in lakes and rivers. Tick outbreaks surge. Sea levels are rising, and intense storms leave coastal communities devastated and facing tens of millions of dollars in cleanup and rebuilding costs, adding to billion-dollar disasters that are becoming the norm across the country. Maine’s heritage industries — like tourism, farming, forestry and fishing — must recalibrate for the future as floods, droughts and fires multiply, intensify and destroy.

Fortunately, the world is already on an irreversible path to cleaner energy and more sustainable practices. While momentum may pause in Washington, D.C., the progress in Maine continues and we are well equipped to identify challenges and capture opportunities to build a more sustainable economy.

We can begin by helping Maine businesses grow and communities and people succeed in a carbon-constrained economy, by fostering business development, professional relationships and the green economy and the jobs that it brings.

It helps that we have a state climate action plan — Maine Won’t Wait — that lays out strategies for Maine to adapt and compete, growing new businesses and making new products that suit the climate era while ensuring that existing and legacy businesses stay robust. That impact will be felt throughout our communities, our collective workforce and their families.

Beyond economic growth, we can deliver broad, long-lasting benefits to Maine people: stronger community resilience, improved public health through clean energy and infrastructure and a deeper sense of purpose and belonging for all Mainers.

We know the pendulum of climate action will swing back toward stronger mitigation and adaptation policies. We must ensure Maine is not just prepared for that shift, but positioned to lead it.

Together, we can safeguard Maine’s forests, coastlines and working lands for future generations. Most importantly, we can ensure that local businesses and communities are leading the transition through community-based solutions and inclusive participation.

This shared investment in progress strengthens civic engagement, fosters collaboration across sectors and builds a more equitable and resilient Maine — one where every person, regardless of background or geography, has a meaningful stake in driving climate and economic solutions forward.

What’s ahead for 2026? The AI and data center boom will grow louder and factor into every new energy policy and decision, unless the AI bubble unexpectedly bursts. Big, expensive and controversial electricity transmission projects will continue to be necessary to move energy from Point A to Point B.

Data will continue to show that solar and wind are more affordable than fossil fuels. Despite the affordability of renewables, natural gas, nuclear power and oil will continue as part of the portfolio, and the debate over energy costs will continue.

Biomass and sustainable biofuels, geothermal and battery storage will become the new “hot” renewables. China will continue to flex its cleantech muscle and retain its sizable global lead over rare earth materials, electric vehicles and solar and wind energy.

We invite you to come see how this all shakes out at ClimateWork Maine’s 4th Summit on Maine’s Economy & Climate Change on March 19, 2026, at Thompson’s Point, Portland. The theme is Climate Dominance & Affordability, which is about moving from reacting to climate change to cost-effectively leading with the solutions that will define our future.

Maine’s innovators, businesses and community leaders will showcase the technologies, strategies and partnerships that put climate action at the center of economic growth, affordability and resilience.