What it doesn't have a lot of is African-Americans. So environmental activists and like-minded politicians are intensifying outreach to blacks by framing their cause as a new frontier in civil rights.

"We need to be involved because African-Americans are disproportionately impacted," said state Sen. Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat who is co-chairman of the newly formed national Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change.

The effort comes on the heels of reports that minority and low-income communities are significantly more vulnerable than others to the effects of climate change. For example, they are more likely to live in large cities, such as Houston, where all the asphalt and concrete causes already-high temperatures to rise — the so-called heat island effect. And they are more likely to be "fuel poor" — unable to afford air conditioning during heat waves or gasoline to evacuate before a hurricane.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found that the majority of blacks characterize global warming as a major problem and would be willing to open their wallets to combat it.

Environmentalists are seeking to enlist religious leaders in their campaign. Black churches are known as more than sanctuaries of worship, offering area residents adult literacy, sports programs, computer training, family counseling and other services.

"Engaging the community will require the churches," Cartwright said. "A lot of what happens in the African-American community starts in our churches."

Scores of conservative evangelical leaders have become convinced that protecting the environment is a religious and moral issue, widely referred to as "creation care." But Cartwright said she expects black churches to frame the issue in terms of environmental justice: the poor and minorities are disproportionately affected by climate change.