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Audubon Florida Climate and Energy News Roundup Today we share news about climate preparedness in Southwest Florida, a new hurricane resiliency, how Miami is protecting the environment and its economy, and more.

Miami Beach. Photo: Pixabay

Hurricane Ian Hit Southwest Florida Just as the State Put Historic Amounts of Money into Climate Resilience. Now Officials Have to Move Faster. From Business Insider “The state and the Biden administration combined are spending billions to help communities prepare, but those efforts were just getting underway when Ian made landfall last week. Now those working to build up Florida's natural defenses are calling for more urgent action… ‘These kinds of grant programs want to see that local governments and agencies are coordinating amongst themselves, rather than having a bunch of sharp elbows," said Brad Cornell, a policy director for Audubon Florida, which works to conserve wildlife habitat. "If they're not working together, we can't solve this problem effectively.’"  Read the entire article.

The New Hurricane Resiliency: Being Off the Grid From Axios “More than 4 million Floridians lost power after Hurricane Ian. But not communities like Babcock Ranch, a Southwest Florida development that bills itself as America’s ‘first solar-powered town.’ Why it matters: Boosting the resiliency of neighborhoods and infrastructure is becoming increasingly urgent as global warming makes hurricanes more powerful. Babcock Ranch has an 870-acre solar farm, along with solar ‘trees’ along its streets, all of which survived Ian unscathed — which may be a key to future climate resiliency.” Read the entire article.

Could Steam Heat, Long Used by Cities and Colleges, Be a Solution to Climate Change? From NPR “Across North America, hundreds of downtowns, colleges and hospitals are heated by steam carried through underground pipes - sounds like something out of a bygone era. But as Susan Phillips of member station WHYY in Philadelphia reports, these steam loop systems could be a climate change solution… The days of coal-generated steam are long gone. During World War II, the plant switched to oil. Today, modern natural gas boilers generate electricity sold to the grid. The waste heat makes the steam.” Read the entire article.

Greater Miami’s Environment is its Economy. We’re Making Strides in Protecting Both | Opinion From Miami Herald “It is rare today for both political parties to declare a bipartisan victory. However, two weeks ago, Greater Miami achieved a true bipartisan breakthrough that promises to deliver results for our region and a credible policy path for our country: FEMA has decided to downgrade flood risks for the Greater Miami area. This will trigger a long overdue correction to insurance premiums and validate the work done at the county and municipal levels and their leaders…The premise was simple and rooted in Florida’s history: We believe the environment is the economy, not an obstacle to the economy. From our River of Grass — the Everglades — to our beautiful beaches, our entire economy is built on the cleanliness of our water, the freshness of our air and the integral, natural beauty of our land.” Read the entire article.

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