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Audubon Florida Climate and Energy News Roundup This week we share news about new electric buses for Pinellas County, what climate change means for Florida strawberry farmers, how climate change strengthened the Colorado wildfire, and more!

Strawberries. Photo: Pixabay

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority to Invest $80M, Buy 60 All-electric Buses From News Channel 8 Tampa Bay “In a unanimous vote, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority board of directors approved an $80 million investment to replace their buses with all-electric vehicles over the next five years. Officials say the PSTA voted to buy 60 electric buses in their ‘ongoing mission to transform the fleet’ to be ‘clean and green’ by 2050. The electric buses will operate systemwide in Pinellas, and the first 60 buses from the purchase will be in use in 2024, according to PSTA. Read the entire article.

UF Rejects GRU to Build Power Plant; Company Hoped Revenues Would Stabilize Electric Bills From the Gainesville Sun “Gainesville Regional Utilities will not get a contract it was seeking to build a plant to supply most of the University of Florida with power. GRU was hoping the revenue from the project could help stabilize customers’ bills in the coming years… The university expects to save more than $16 million a year in energy costs from the new plant, it said in a recent statement. But the natural gas-fired plant that UF has endorsed would be a step backward for green energy policy, student protesters and environmentalists have complained.” Read the entire article.

What Climate Change Means for Florida Strawberry Farmers From WTSP Tampa Bay “A warming climate could bring more rain in the winter months, making berries more vulnerable to fungal diseases and pests… Whitaker says the real climate threat to strawberries is more rain. A wetter growing season means the crop will be more vulnerable to fungal diseases. So, he’s working to create strawberries that will thrive in a wetter climate.” Read the entire article.

ReThink Energy Aims to Empower Floridians to Shape Future Policy | Sustainable Tallahassee From the Tallahassee Democrat “Climate is in the news more and more these days – from the alarming UN report warning of the need to cut worldwide greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, to the COP 26 Climate Summit in Glasgow in early November, to an ongoing onslaught of new disasters stemming from extreme weather events. For many Tallahasseeans this may seem new, but for a few of us, we live and breathe it every day… So, with climate concerns and the need to shift to renewable energy in mind, I, and a few friends, including my husband Brian, founded ReThink.” Read the entire article.

Climate Change Is Making Your Seasonal Allergies Worse, According to New Research From Martha Stewart Magazine “Itching, sneezing, and watery eyes are all things you're familiar with if you struggle with seasonal allergies. While these cold-like symptoms are triggered by outdoor and indoor allergens—think pollen and dust mites—that are typically more rampant during spring, a new study suggests that climate change has lengthened hay fever season. The research, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that global warming is causing extra weeks of seasonal allergies.” Read the entire article.

Colorado Wildfire that Burned Nearly 1,000 Homes Drew Power from Climate Change, Scientists Say From ABC-7 News LA “The winter grassland fire that blew up along Colorado's Front Range was rare, experts say, but similar events will be more common in the coming years as climate change warms the planet - sucking the moisture out of plants - suburbs grow in fire-prone areas and people continue to spark destructive blazes.” Read the entire article.

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