Will Hurricane Harvey and other storms spur action on climate change?

In this NOAA-NASA GOES Project handout image, GOES satellite shows Hurricane Irma as it moves on the Florida coast as Tropical Storm Jose (R) moves west in the Atlantic Ocean taken at 05:30 UTC on Sept. 11, 2017. As Irma heads up Florida's west coast its leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without power as more than 100,000 people have taken refuge in shelters and millions have evacuated the area. less In this NOAA-NASA GOES Project handout image, GOES satellite shows Hurricane Irma as it moves on the Florida coast as Tropical Storm Jose (R) moves west in the Atlantic Ocean taken at 05:30 UTC on Sept. 11, ... more Photo: Handout/Getty Images Photo: Handout/Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Will Hurricane Harvey and other storms spur action on climate change? 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN -- Despite three major hurricanes battering the country this year, political experts predict there will be no immediate federal policy to address climate change, and Republicans and Democrats will stay staunchly divided on the issue.

"If you are a Democrat you think [climate change] is real. If you are a Republican, you don't think it's real," said Joshua Busby, a professor at UT Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs at an energy conference for journalists. "What that means is nothing will shake your faith in your party attachments."

A majority of American say that climate change contributed to the severity of recent hurricanes in Florida and Texas, according to a Washington Post-ABC News Poll released Thursday. The poll shows a shift in opinion from over a decade ago when 39 percent of Americans believes climate change fueled the intensity of Hurricanes.

But the poll also showed deep divides between political parties, with 78 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents saying climate change impacts hurricane severity. About 23 percent of Republicans agreed.

Busby said Hurricane Harvey and the other hurricanes this season are unlikely to change federal policy.

"It probably doesn't have any bearing on what kinds of policies or the sense of urgency it is going to encourage from the electorate about this problem," Busby said.

Busby and David Adelman, a professor of law who focus on environmental issues, say while much may not happen at the federal level, the storms could cause a "come to Jesus moment" for local governments, like Houston, to do more to address climate change.

The city could do more to restore wetlands and encourage residents not to rebuild in flood zones. But they are concerned about the city's past practices of rapid expansion and building over wetlands.

"That's not the history of Houston, that's the problem right there," Adelman said.