Florida is on the front lines of climate change.
Solving this problem is our greatest challenge. And with great challenges must come strategic solutions. Before we invest billions of dollars in mitigation and carbon reduction, Floridians deserve to have the most current and accurate science available. That’s where the Florida Climate Resiliency and Research Program comes in.
Reps. Ben Diamond and Holly Raschein and Sen. Darryl Rouson have sponsored a bipartisan bill that calls for a comprehensive review of climate change in Florida, HB 913/SB 1232. FCV is actively working to gain cosponsors for this bill and recently, Reps. Anna Eskamani and Tina Polsky have signed on as cosponsors.
HB 913 and SB 1232 would establish the Florida Climate Resiliency and Research Program, requiring our state’s best scientific agencies and institutions to conduct a coordinated evaluation of the causes and effects of climate change and sea level rise in Florida. Housed within the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the program could submit a Florida Resiliency Plan to the Governor and Legislature. It would be the program’s job to assist the state in understanding, assessing, predicting, and responding to climate change impacts.
The assessment would consider the following areas:
- Natural environment
- Land and water resources
- Biological diversity
- Agriculture
- Energy production and use
- Economic growth
- Employment
- Financial risk
- Disaster preparedness
- Human health and welfare
- Transportation
- Current trends in climate change, both human-induced and natural
- Projected major trends for 25 – 100 years
In order to stop the effects of climate change, we need comprehensive data. This program would cover a lot of ground.
The science in this report will inform the climate protection strategies of tomorrow by helping to prioritize response efforts and by making taxpayer investments more effective today. This bill also requires the state to update and reproduce this report every four years so we can track changes, progress, and threats.
Do you believe in science? Your voice is needed now to make sure this bill passes. Please contact your legislators now and tell them to cosponsor these bills and fight for their passage.