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    The effects of climate change are increasing.

    No matter where you live, you are experiencing the effects of climate change, such as hotter temperatures, more intense storms, changes in water availability and more. The world needs to reduce atmospheric carbon and help humans and nature adapt to a changing climate.

    • The area of wildfires burned in the West doubled between 1984 and 2015, and the annual acreage burned by wildfires is projected to grow up to six-fold in some places by 2100.

    • Heavy-rain events have increased 37% in the Midwest since the 1950s, and the magnitude of river floods is steadily increasing.

    • Wealthy Americans enjoy almost 50% more greenery in their environment compared with lower-income communities. That’s critical when the average temperature can vary up to 10 degrees between places with and without trees.

    Land trusts are gaining ground in response to a changing climate.

    Land trusts’ local programs have a global impact on climate. Land trusts help to:

    • Reduce greenhouse gases by protecting and managing land, which maximizes nature's ability to absorb and hold carbon.

    • Cool urban hotspots through tree planting and forest protection.

    • Provide safe havens for plants and animals by identifying and conserving lands that will be most resilient to climate change.

    • Reduce flooding from storms by conserving and restoring natural floodplains, coastal marshes, prairies and forests that naturally absorb and hold water.

    • Reduce the possibility and intensity of wildfires by conducting controlled burns to limit fuel build-up.

    • Place renewable energy infrastructure such as solar arrays and wind turbines away from sensitive natural lands to protect open space, wildlife habitat and migration corridors.

    Land trusts at work

    Read how land trusts are gaining ground against climate change.

    Conserving land isn’t the only means of solving the climate crisis, but it is a critical one. And while climate change is a global challenge, every tree planted, every wetland restored, every acre conserved is part of the solution.

    Join us to make sure land trusts have the resources they need to conserve the local places that help people and wildlife adapt to a changing climate.

    Support the Alliance to save more of the land you love.

    Make a lasting impact