Amid rising temperatures, increasing floods, and intensifying storms, Americans are seeing the effects of climate change but research shows they frequently have opposing views on how to address its impact. 

While the science is clear, polarized public opinion make response to the climate crisis a challenge, as shown in recent research from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Nexus and a 2016 report from Pew Research Center. As the 2030 deadline approaches to cut global greenhouse gasses by 47% outlined in the Paris Climate Accords, reaching a consensus is becoming critical despite growing conflict between opposing groups.

But there are a few nonpartisan public and private climate organizations working to appeal to all parts of the political spectrum. By combating climate change through shared interests, they hope to benefit communities by directly connecting Americans to the environment. 

Connecting communities, big and small

Since its founding in 1986, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has created more than 41,400 miles of nature trails for public use. Vice president of trail development at Rails-to-Trails Liz Thorstensen said she is working on building a network of walking/biking trails communities and commuters could use. 

A national network of interconnected trails and “active transportation” has the potential to cut as much as 12 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, according to a 2019 Rails-to-Trails report.

Thorstensen said every trail Rails-to-Trails project is meant to be interconnected with other trails to create more access for communities by going through both residential and commercial areas. 

“In a lot of communities your only choice is to get around in a car,” Thorstensen said. “We want to increase those transportation choices.”

Thorstensen said Rails-to-Trails receives their funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, giving funding for local projects alleviating the effects of climate change and benefiting other areas of the economy. Rails-to-Trails also ensures funding granted to state governments is going towards creating trails.

Specifically, according to the Rail-to-Trails Conservancy website, they receive funding from a subset of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law called the Reconnecting Communities Pilot program (RCP). The RCP provides $1 billion in funding for projects relating to “restore community connectivity,” by creating infrastructure related to areas such as mobility. 

“It gave us an unprecedented amount of funding for our movement,” Thorstensen said in reference to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and RCP. 

Beyond the environmental health benefits and its funding, Thorstensen said Rails-to-Trails recognizes communities have different priorities for what type of trail they want. To make sure these communities take advantage of the trail when it is in place, they connect with community members and local organizations. There are often a wide range of opinions and concerns. 

For example, some communities in the upper Midwest requested their trails have outdoor lights along them as it gets darker outside sooner in the winter and residents still want to be able to safely use them. 

Some other projects Thorstensen said they worked on were the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network, with a metropolitan population of 2.8 million, and Milwaukee Route of the Badger, with a metropolitan population of 1.4 million. 

One of the bigger projects the organization is working on is the Great American Rail-Trail spanning 12 states and 3,700 miles.

“The key is actually engaging with the different stakeholders depending on where the corridor travels through,” Thorstensen said. 

Protecting beloved spaces

Coastal communities are often the ones taking the hardest hits during hurricane season. The 2024 season was the second costliest on record, according to the Scalia Laboratory at Ohio University, and produced five major hurricanes, including multiple rated as Category 5.

Climate Central, a nonprofit researching the impacts of climate change, reported hurricane wind speeds increased by an average of 9 to 28 miles per hour in 2024 due to elevated sea surface temperatures caused by climate change.

“You had communities that had no dunes, no real beaches, and they got destroyed,” said Dan Ginolfi, senior vice president at Warwick Group Consultants, LLC. 

Warwick Group is a private firm assisting businesses and government entities with coastal infrastructure and flooding projects. Ginolfi is working with coastal local governments such as in New Jersey and Florida to add more beach nourishment, such as sand and dunes, to combat hurricanes causing flooding.

According to data shared by Ginolfi, coastal communities spend roughly $175 million to $200 million on beach nourishment per year to combat flooding. Maintaining the beaches by adding new sediment supports beach tourism, generating approximately $520 million in return, Ginolfi said. For every $1 spent on beach nourishment, Ginolfi said this yields $3,000 in economic return for the community. 

Ginolfi often talks with people in these coastal communities who do not attribute flooding issues and beach erosion to climate change. But to these individuals, he said, there is “no doubt” rising sea levels and hurricanes are destroying tourism in their communities. 

“Mother Nature doesn’t see boundaries,” Ginolfi said. “Mother Nature doesn’t see politics.”

Besides extreme weather events, he said these communities also face “sunny-day flooding,” or when areas flood during normal high tides rather than storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association reports sunny-day flooding has increased from 400% to 1,100% compared to the year 2000. 

Ginolfi said he works on getting the authorization for communities to spend money for beach restoration/nourishment projects through the Water Resource Development Act, which provides funding for flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration for communities affected by flooding. He also said there can also be state and county assistance depending on the area. 

Ginolfi said there’s something “particularly American” about the pastime of going to the beach, as he noted many people will drive from places like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, all the way to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to experience coastal relaxation. 

He also said these coastal areas are not only where people vacation, but also where they live, retire, and work.  

“When I’m at the beach, I look around and I just remind myself that, wow, everybody’s having the time of their life,” Ginolfi said. 

Shared passions break barriers 

The National Audubon Society, headquartered in New York City, seeks to protect birds and the places they habit. According to the organization’s website, part of their mission is to reach “Across aisles. Across landscapes. Across borders.” 

Sam Wojcicki, the senior director of climate policy at the National Audubon Society, said he is working toward building a healthier planet for the birds through state and federal legislation. 

“As many as two thirds of North American bird species could go extinct if we fail to address the climate crisis,” Wojcicki said in reference to the organization’s research. 

He said Audubon works to prevent their risk of extinction by advocating for cleaner and renewable energy such as offshore and solar. The challenge, according to Wojcicki, is what society wants to spend their money on is not necessarily renewable energy. 

But like for Rails-to-Trails, these economic concerns are alleviated under the federal government. For Audubon, renewable energy programs are not only funded under the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law but also Inflation Reduction Act, giving funding to projects like renewable energy.

In “most cases” renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuel-based energies, according to a report from the United Nations. And according to a 2023 report from the International Renewable Energy Agency, an intergovernmental group focused on the energy transition, after decades of falling costs and improved performance in solar and wind technologies, the economic benefits are “now compelling.”

Rather than directly advocating for new forms of renewable energy or supporting any one political party, Wojcicki said Audubon instead shows the public how climate change is affecting the connection between birds and people.

“Most people do not spend their days thinking about energy, but there are a lot of people who think about the birds,” Wojcicki said. 

Before joining Audubon, Wojcicki worked for Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) where he learned people put their guard up when having a conversation about climate change or transitioning to renewable energy, but they were emotionally affected when hearing about birds going extinct. Wojcicki said many Americans have bird feeders in their backyard or like to go bird watching. 

“Everybody’s got a bird story,” he said. 

To Americans there is a “powerful” presence of nature and interest in the diversity of species in our environment, he said, which makes people care about birds. This means, Wojcicki said, the National Audubon Society can have conversations with the public about the warning signs of climate change, and how these changes could impact the birds living by their homes, and in their communities.

“It’s not a story about politics,” Wojcicki said. “It’s a story about nature.”