Red-blue split on climate in your town?

Global warming is paralyzing Congress.
Can you keep your town nimble?

There’s bad news for those hoping to protect themselves from the threats of warming: a new study says American voters are increasingly polarized on the issue, paralysing Congress and many State Houses.

The good news may be that most of warming’s impact on our family finances will come from highly-local effects anyway, and many of those threats can be parried or escaped through local action – at the community or even the family level. No, we probably won’t find non-federal funds to do the heavy engineering needed that will stem drought or flooding. And no, federal spending on climate-related initiatives is unlikely to boost hiring and accelerate new industries.

But, if we live in a town and state where the red and white lines don’t diverge as much as the national split, there are lots of steps we and our neighbors can take to hold the costs of warming down in our area. (See Climate-Proof Your Personal Finances for dozens of ideas.)