Audubon Florida
Red-shouldered hawks
Audubon Florida Climate and Energy News Roundup
This week we share news about climate change in Florida’s legislative budget, a guest column from Executive Director Julie Wraithmell, a new Chief Heat Officer for Miami, the impact of the internet on climate, and more.
Red-shouldered Hawks. Photo: RJ Wiley
Guest Column: It's Time to Focus on the Region's Forests and the Climate
From Florida Times-Union

“In Florida’s central Panhandle, forests full of trees snapped in half by the power of 2018’s Hurricane Michael are still commonplace, as are large swaths that have been cleared to make way for other uses… The working forests of North Florida have long been a cornerstone of the region’s economy and ecology, providing jobs, wood, and fiber, as well as wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and carbon sequestration. Sustainable forestry and ranching are critical to Florida’s resiliency in the face of climate change. As they go, so does our state.”
Effort to Fight Climate Change Getting More Funding in Florida’s Budget
From News 4 Jacksonville

“Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a $101.5 billion budget for this fiscal year, including $41.5 million to combat climate change in Florida. DeSantis’s signature marked the first time the state’s budget has exceeded $100 billion, and the state will have over $9 billion more to work with than last year. Several million dollars have been earmarked for efforts to address the impacts of climate change on the environment. Despite that funding, this is the second year in a row that the budget does not cover plans to mitigate underlying causes of climate change or any initiative to reduce carbon emissions.”
Floridians And Climate Change: 'I Have Noticed A Big Difference'
From WUSF Public Media

“Some Tampa Bay area residents told stories of disappearing sea life, learning about natural hurricane protection and discussing the sometimes hot-button topic of climate change with community members. WUSF is reporting on climate change and we asked residents of the greater Tampa Bay region to tell us how they have been impacted... Today, we hear from Brooke Errett, Maria Ceron, and Joseph Cavanaugh who talk about the shifting natural environment in their own words.”
REAL ESTATE BRIEF: Pearl Homes Breaks Ground on Energy-efficient Development in Cortez
From Sarasota Herald-Tribune

“Florida-based Pearl Homes recently broke ground on Hunters Point, a luxury home community in Cortez, in Manatee County. The development will comprise 86 eco-friendly, single-family homes powered by solar, with energy storage systems by sonnen ecoLinx… Recognizing the need and urgency for climate action, Pearl Homes is working cooperatively with sonnen and various eco-friendly suppliers to offer homebuyers an end-to-end experience that both reduces the total cost of ownership and minimizes each home’s carbon footprint.”
Miami Appoints Chief Heat Officer To Address Climate Impacts
From Environmental Leader

“With climate impacts – heat arguably being the number one – worsening as I wrote earlier this week, public and private enterprises are realizing the need to step up their governance efforts. Earlier this year Miami-Dade County appointed Jane Gilbert as its first Chief Heat Officer, and other cities around the world are expected to follow. Miami-Dade County is a founding member of the City Champions for Heat Action (CCHA) initiative, which is a program of the Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance (EHRA), organised by the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center.”
To Help Save the Climate, Ask Yourself if That Videoconference Could Be a Voice Call
From Anthropocene

“Virtual meetings and telework reduce the environmental impacts from travel, as pandemic-related lockdowns have demonstrated over the past year and a half. But the Internet has an environmental impact too – and that impact is rarely measured in a comprehensive way, researchers argue in the journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling.”
Carbon Dioxide, Which Drives Climate Change, Reaches Highest Level In 4 Million Years
From NPR

“The amount of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere reached 419 parts per million in May, its highest level in more than four million years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced on Monday. After dipping last year because of pandemic-fueled lockdowns, emissions of greenhouse gases have begun to soar again as economies open and people resume work and travel. The newly released data about May carbon dioxide levels show that the global community so far has failed to slow the accumulation of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, NOAA said in its announcement.”
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