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Research shows 70 percent of Americans think climate change is a serious problem, but when you're gathered around a holiday dinner table with those who disagree, a civil conversation can be tough.

The Sierra Club's Director of Digital Strategy Morissa Kellman said if you're passionate about the issue, you don't need to avoid the topic of climate change completely – but you should think ahead about how those you're planning to see will best hear your message.

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"The research really shows the people that you know are far more likely to be open to changing their minds if you talk to them," said Kellman. "Each of us are the most effective messengers to our friends and family."

New Mexico is ranked as the sixth-fastest-warming U.S. state and faces climate-change risks from fire, drought and heat. But Kellman noted that mis-and disinformation often found on social media has made it less likely that people can agree on a set of facts.

So, for those who argue climate change is a hoax, she said it's best in any conversation to play the long game – and hope to gradually persuade them with data about health and safety, or the loss of protections for land and water.

Studies show Americans who think global warming is happening outnumber those who think it isn't by a ratio of about five to one, and 60 percent think it's mostly human-caused.

But Kellman said she believes further fracturing relationships, at a time when so many issues divide Americans, should be avoided if possible.

"When disagreements come up with people we love, it can be incredibly painful, because these topics often touch on our deepest values, on our identities," said Kellman, "on the things that we hold dear and our hopes for our children for the future."

Adults under age 30 are more likely to say they’ll probably get into a political argument at Thanksgiving than those who are older.