![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Figure-1-5.png\")
<\/a>According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), global warming is caused when carbon dioxide, and other gases, transmit sunlight to Earth\u2019s surface but retain heat that would have otherwise escaped into space (greenhouse effect) [4]. This is particularly problematic for Florida\u2019s tourism for three reasons:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Health: By 2050, temperatures in Miami are expected to increase between 4.5 and 9\u00b0F, with temperatures above 90\u00b0F for more than two-thirds of the year. [5]. At these temperatures, the people living and visiting Florida are at an increased risk of heatstroke.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- \n
- Rising Sea Levels: The warmer temperatures raise sea levels by expanding ocean water and melting mountain glaciers. But one of the larger issues that Florida faces is with its water management system. According to the National Climate Assessment (NCA), \u201ccoastal water control structures that were originally built about 60 years ago at the ends of drainage canals to keep saltwater out and to provide flood protection to urbanized areas along the coast [will now be] threatened by sea level rise [6].<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Figure-2-6-216x300.png\")
<\/a>Figure 2: https:\/\/www3.epa.gov\/climatechange\/Downloads\/impacts-adaptation\/saving_FL.pdf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n - \n
- Flooding and Beach Erosion: The combination of the rise in the sea level with the potential for heavy rain will lead to flooding in low-lying coastal areas in Florida and thus beach erosion. A study by the Army Corps of Engineers found that Miami will need approximately 23 million cubic yards of beach re-nourishments over the next 50 years to sustain its beaches [7] after being affected by climate change.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/FIgure-3-300x199.png\")
<\/a>Figure 3: https:\/\/southeastfloridaclimatecompact.files.wordpress.com\/2014\/05\/compact-1-page-flyer-ia-final-sa.pdf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Now that we know what is happening and the effects on Florida\u2019s tourism industry, let\u2019s turn to what Florida is doing to combat this issue.<\/p>\n
While some of Florida\u2019s leaders deny climate change (Governor Rick Scott has allegedly banned municipal departments from using the terms \u201cclimate change\u201d and \u201cglobal warming\u201d [8] and \u201c[has] not been convinced\u201d that global warming is real [9]), many local Florida officials have banned together to help themselves. This includes the creation of the Southeast Florida Regional Compact in which they \u201cwork collaboratively on mitigation and adaption strategies\u2026to influence climate\/energy legislation and funding at state and federal levels\u201d [10].<\/p>\n
In addition, the Florida legislature has recently approved $25 million statewide for beach replenishment, $50 million for water supply programs, $5 billion over 20 years for the Everglades and $35 million for park repairs and enhancements [11].<\/p>\n
The city of Miami, which will be significantly impacted by climate change, is \u201cplanning to spend $400-$500 million dollars to raise roads and seawalls across the city and to install 80 pumps\u2026[to send] flood water back into Biscayne Bay\u201d [12].<\/p>\n
![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Figure-4-300x181.png\")
<\/a>Figure 4: https:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/sites\/default\/files\/ClimateWaterFS_MiamiFL.pdf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Miami has also created \u201cGreenPrint\u201d which is a sustainability plan that outlines 137 initiatives for Miami to become more sustainable. So far Miami has completed 110 initiatives including conserving 1.74 million gallons of water every day, creating 33.6 miles of new bicycle trails and lanes and preserving 23,600 acres of endangered lands [13].<\/p>\n
While these efforts are admirable, I believe that Florida should be doing more to protect itself and its tourism industry from sinking. I believe that leadership starts at the top, and for Florida to really make meaningful progress, Governor Rick Scott needs to accept that climate change is real. I believe that there needs to be comprehensive legislature across the entire state to reduce greenhouse emissions, use less water and energy, and build infrastructure around the coastal cities that will protect them from increases in temperatures and sea level. In addition, I wonder how feasible it would be to move the buildings on the shoreline back to protect them from literally going underwater.<\/p>\n
Climate change is not an easy subject to tackle, but when governing officials refuse to believe in its existence, it makes it even harder to combat. Economists are already estimating that Florida will lose $9 billion in revenue by 2025 and $40 billion by the 2050s due to climate change [6].<\/p>\n
It is up to the local, state and federal government to work together to prepare for a future in which our warmer planet has many negative implications on our most vulnerable states.<\/p>\n
So will Florida\u2019s tourism sink or swim in the next 84 years? The answer depends on the steps it takes now to prepare itself for its new reality. \u00a0(800 words excluding citations and figures)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[1] \u201cResearch\u201d, from Visit Florida website, http:\/\/www.visitflorida.org\/resources\/research\/<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[2] \u201cClimate Change in Florida\u201d, from Land Scope America website, http:\/\/www.landscope.org\/florida\/threats\/climate_change\/<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[3] Gov. Scott: Florida Welcomed a Record 105 Million Tourists in 2015, <\/em>\u00a0from Gov. Rick Scott website, http:\/\/www.flgov.com\/2016\/02\/18\/gov-scott-florida-welcomed-a-record-105-million-tourists-in-2015\/<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[4] Environmental Protection Agency, \u201cSaving Florida\u2019s Vanishing Shores\u201d (PDF file), March 2002, https:\/\/www3.epa.gov\/climatechange\/Downloads\/impacts-adaptation\/saving_FL.pdf<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[5] Michelle Mehta, \u201cMiami and the Keys, Florida: Identifying and Becoming More Resilient to Impacts of Climate Change, July 2011, https:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/sites\/default\/files\/ClimateWaterFS_MiamiFL.pdf<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[6] The White House: Office of the Press Secretary, \u201cWhat Climate Change Means for Florida and the Southeast and Caribbean\u201d (PDF file), May 6, 2014, https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/docs\/state-reports\/FLORIDA_NCA_2014.pdf<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[7] World Resources Institute, \u201cSea-Level Rise and Its Impact on Miami-Dade County\u201d (PDF file), 2014, http:\/\/www.wri.org\/sites\/default\/files\/sealevelrise_miami_florida_factsheet_final.pdf<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[8] Tristram Korten, \u201cGov. Rick Scott\u2019s ban on climate change term extended to other state agencies\u201d, Miami Herald, March 11 2015, http:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/state\/florida\/article13576691.html<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[9] John Frank, \u201cOpen to more drilling \u2013 with safeguards \u2013 Rick Scott tours the oil-damaged coast\u201d, Times\/Herald Tallahassee Bureau, July 26 2010, http:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/business\/energy\/open-to-more-drilling-mdash-with-safeguards-mdash-rick-scott-tours-the\/1111250<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[10] Southeast Florida Regional Compact, \u201cClimate Change\u201d (PDF file), https:\/\/southeastfloridaclimatecompact.files.wordpress.com\/2014\/05\/compact-1-page-flyer-ia-final-sa.pdf<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[11] Florida First Budget, \u201cMaking Florida First in Environmental Protection\u201d, http:\/\/www.floridafirstbudget.com\/content\/current\/EnvironmentalProtection.htm, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
[12] Dick Green, “Miami Beach. Avoiding Another Lost Atlantis?”, February 10 2016, \u00a0http:\/\/dwgreenassociates.com\/?p=6657<\/a>, accessed November 2016<\/p>\n
- Flooding and Beach Erosion: The combination of the rise in the sea level with the potential for heavy rain will lead to flooding in low-lying coastal areas in Florida and thus beach erosion. A study by the Army Corps of Engineers found that Miami will need approximately 23 million cubic yards of beach re-nourishments over the next 50 years to sustain its beaches [7] after being affected by climate change.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- Rising Sea Levels: The warmer temperatures raise sea levels by expanding ocean water and melting mountain glaciers. But one of the larger issues that Florida faces is with its water management system. According to the National Climate Assessment (NCA), \u201ccoastal water control structures that were originally built about 60 years ago at the ends of drainage canals to keep saltwater out and to provide flood protection to urbanized areas along the coast [will now be] threatened by sea level rise [6].<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n