Opinion: Climate action matters most at the local level

The recent destruction caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for local climate action focused on the communities least able to bounce back from devastation.  

During the final weeks of the 2024 presidential election, the impacts of climate change are very much in the public eye. Yet the game plan for how to climate prepare the most vulnerable parts of the United States is missing from this election season. Neither the Harris-Walz nor Trump-Vance campaign has fully seized the opportunity to call for a unified national response that inspires and supports local action for climate adaptation and resilience – which leaves us all vulnerable.

The summer of 2024 was the hottest on record globally, and scientists predict this year will likely be the warmest humanity has ever measured. Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented devastation to the southeast, with over 40 trillion gallons of rain causing widespread flooding and destruction. There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that human activities are driving climate change, resulting in more frequent and intense extreme weather events.

Polling shows we have far to go in reaching bipartisan consensus on climate action, yet partisan lines disappear in the aftermath of devastating storms. We need federal, state and city support to fund programs like Climate Informed Communities, which supports the most vulnerable neighborhoods with disaster preparedness education and provides tools for local involvement in resilience infrastructure projects.

It is a disturbing truth that climate change adaptation and resilience still do not earn the attention or resources needed to secure a livable and healthy future for all people and all communities. We have answers and strategies at the ready for a better future, but we must have the powerful combination of national leadership and local action.

At the local level, the urgency is preparing those most vulnerable – communities who have inherited a legacy of policies like redlining. Neighborhoods of low-income and immigrant communities and communities of color are at the frontlines of the climate crisis, experiencing the most extreme heat, poor air quality, and flooding to far greater degrees.

Our most effective means of protecting local homes and businesses are the result of local decision-making. Building floodwalls, rain gardens, and retrofitting drainage systems require federal leadership and funding, and will happen with a comprehensive federal approach that catalyzes and incentivizes local leadership. 

With a federal push, cities can get it done. Municipal loan programs to retrofit homes and support buyouts can be established. Local planning boards can set limits on irresponsible development in the flood-prone areas and set higher standards for development. A town’s floodplain manager can improve their Community Rating System score to lower flood insurance rates and educate communities on the importance of coverage. Counties and regional entities can coordinate between jurisdictions to create regional climate plans. The list goes on and on; the opportunities are vast.

To get solutions moving, national leadership and funding must catch up to local ambition. With a local focus that is leveraged by national policy, funding, and outspoken federal leadership, we can create a more nuanced and hopeful narrative around climate action. This will inspire more action when people see that tangible solutions exist, and that all individuals and communities can make a difference.

The next administration has a critical opportunity to drive local action by passing the National Coordination on Adaptation Resiliency for Security Act, or NCARS,  (S.3261/H.R.6311),  which would create a proactive national resilience strategy. Climate resilience and preparedness funding is spread across 17 different federal agencies with little to no coordination. NCARS would require governance and coordination to streamline the currently fragmented approach, making it easier for state, local, private sector, and non-profit partners to access federal resources. Supporting and moving this legislation should be a major focus of the next administration and Congress.

Let’s move beyond partisan gridlock and embrace a future for the United States where climate action for resilience and adaptation is prioritized at all levels. National leadership combined with local action is our future.