A lot of decisions about US public infrastructure will need to happen in the near future. That’s not a choice. For the past decade at least, there was reason for optimism that those decisions would include additional investment for sustainability, social goals and climate change adaptation.

But suddenly, that optimism doesn’t look so justified anymore, as yet more articles like this appear. Now it seems almost certain that funding for anything other than bare bones replacement will face economic, political and social headwinds.

Local infrastructure funding will have to deal with anxious tax and rate payers that are already beset with inflation and slow growth. Federal funding, so recently looking bright, could dry up in a wholesale change in the political environment and changing priorities.

Right or wrong, that’s how it is. Hard times mean a focus on short-term, just-good-enough solutions. Unfortunately, climate adaptation investment only has really obvious value in the long-term.

Is there any way to make it easier to include long-term value in today’s public infrastructure decisions, at least from a federal perspective? I think federal infrastructure financing programs could help a lot. A long-term policy perspective comes naturally to programs that offer loans with terms of 40 years (WIFIA) or even 75 in some cases (TIFIA). Apart from low interest rates, stretching out amortization schedules and other structural refinements mean that short-term funding impacts can be minimized. And future repayment comes when the value of additional investment is seen (perhaps even welcomed) in real time.

If only from a practical, realpolitik viewpoint, I also think federal infrastructure loan programs are worth extra attention right now. The programs have solid bipartisan support and usually fly way beneath our polarized political storms. They’re easy on the federal deficit and easy to expand in size and capability, given the federal government’s unique strengths as a long-term lender. Several are operating successfully already, a proven base to work with and a model for copies, like CIFIA.

Maybe there’s better news ahead. But despite my natural optimism, something tells me that the next few years are going to be challenging. We shouldn’t give up on continuing positive climate change policies, of course. But it’s time to start looking for practical solutions to keep that positive direction going in more difficult times.