Years Ago, Leaders Declared the Principles of Environmental Justice

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Dr. Horning agrees: “In Florida, climate change is a dirty word,” she said. “Our governor doesn’t believe in it; our senators don’t believe in it; lots of Republicans in the community don’t believe in it. But when you show them pictures and say, ‘this happened, and this happened,’ they say, ‘well, maybe she’s got a point.’”

In addition to illuminating challenges, Higher Ground members share solutions. They learn about what works from one another, and through seminars and trainings with experts. “We’ve learned about rain gardens, bioswales and other green infrastructure,” said David Southgate. They also get schooled on the politics of flooding: “We’ve learned how big money influences the creation of flood maps that allow developers to build in areas where they shouldn’t be building,” Southgate said.

Practical knowledge and political savvy make Higher Ground members effective advocates. “We are not just complaining,” said Frances Acuña, “we are offering choices and recommendations and offering to build a working relationship.”

And Higher Ground members “train it forward,” passing on what they’ve learned to others in their communities. “I’ve learned a lot about how to speak to your representative or your senator,” said Acuña, “so now I’m doing a training for the community to teach back what I’ve learned, because it’s important.”

Solutions to flooding

Higher Ground’s approach is getting results. Wasserberg’s work in Virginia Beach sparked new building regulations; major capital projects to mitigate flooding—including tidal gates—are also in the works. Frances Acuña helped win a citywide flood-control resolution, and she now advises local officials on green infrastructure and disaster response. The community group David Southgate volunteers with, Un Nuevo Amanecer, persuaded the Army Corps of Engineers to launch a study that will guide climate adaptation in Ponce Playa.

Other Higher Ground members have successfully halted developments in flood-prone areas, instituted green infrastructure programs, promoted cleanups at toxic waste sites in areas that flood, and organized home buyouts. Recently, a member group called Rosewood Strong in Socastee, South Carolina, secured $13 million in federal funding

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to buy out 60 repeatedly flooded homes and use the land for green infrastructure.

But you could say that the group’s greatest achievement lies in those monthly Zoom calls. Today, Americans have sorted ourselves into communities defined by geography, demography, ideology—and opportunities to communicate across those divides are exceedingly rare. But the shared trauma of flooding offers an opening.

“Floodwaters don’t recognize geographical boundaries, political boundaries, or racial boundaries,” said Wasserberg. “That was the catalyst for me to join with other people who had different perspectives, politically speaking. They had the same experience I had; they had water in their homes, just like me. We all found that common ground.”

The circle of trust

We live in a society of weaponized information, where media outlets at opposing ends of the political spectrum no longer share a basic perception of reality. It’s an atmosphere of metastasizing mistrust and contempt that threatens the very foundation of democracy. And yet: here is a diverse group of Americans, sharing information and making common cause. Like many conservatives, Wasserberg does not trust the mainstream media. But she does put faith in the information she gets from her fellow flood survivors and affiliated experts. “It’s almost like a trust circle,” she said.

Of course, Higher Ground is not an island; the bitter politics of this moment are not absent here. When partisan passions reached a fever pitch around the 2020 elections, Wasserberg stepped away from activism for a few months, fearing that her conservatism would make her a target. And she declines to sign on to Higher Ground initiatives that don’t align with her politics. But that does not affect her relationships with other members of the group. “There’s room for us to be who we are,” she said.

The group’s winning formula does not guarantee success. Indeed, Higher Ground members are often locked in struggle with entrenched local power structures. Dr. Steven Emerman, a TEX volunteer who advises several local flood-survivor groups, observed that facts are often no match for ideology: “I’ve never seen a case where you take a city council member who’s totally pro development, and you show him or her the facts about flooding, and they just change their mind.” Victories are rarely permanent:

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as long as there is money to be made—or votes to be gained—by building in flood-prone areas, the flooding will continue.

What is needed is a sea change in our politics. That will require new understanding of flood risks, and of how those are made worse by a changing climate. That, in turn, requires communication across the gaping divides in American society. We need a wider “circle of trust.”

Like other members of Higher Ground, Virginia Wasserberg is doing her part. Recently, she launched an initiative to put climate change and sea-level rise on the platforms of Republican candidates, and to hold them accountable once they are in office.

“Republicans like myself who care about the environment need to stand up and do something about it,” she said. “We can’t just sit on the sidelines and let this be a political issue. It’s a human issue.”