The effectiveness of our efforts to mitigate the effects of and adapt to climate change will depend upon effective policy formulation and implementation. If past policy failures are any indication, however, good policy is not solely a function of the identification of new needs, in some instances it may require substantial institutional change. In order to capture the potential for effective policy to be generated from within our own forestry, agriculture, and water policy communities, we conducted a study of the attitudes and beliefs of policy community actors in these sectors. Our findings indicate that certain features of a policy actor’s socio-political identity influence her perceptions of the salience of climate change,and her willingness to take action. Studies of this type will bean important component of assessments of political capacity to respond to climate change.