The Gainesville City Commission this fall declared a climate state of emergency — a largely symbolic move with little municipal heft behind it compared to the actions the federal government could take if motivated and mobilized — but some city residents do feel a sense of urgency to take steps toward combating climate change.
Read More »Environmentalists Debate Energy Market Changes
The initiative, Florida Changes to Energy Market Initiative, has divided environmentalists by proposing a deregulated, competitive market for electric power. If approved, it would allow all Florida residents to generate, use and sell their own electric power, creating more opportunities for solar power usage.
Read More »Gainesville Declares State of Emergency with Climate Proclamation
Below: listen to the radio version of this story from WUFT-FM. The city of Gainesville followed the lead of over 1,200 other communities in a climate change decision: Gainesville has declared a state of emergency. Gainesville City Commissioners voted unanimously on the decision to adopt a climate emergency proclamation. The …
Read More »What’s The Next Step In The Lawsuit Over The Rodman Dam?
Read the judge's full ruling from Monday here.
Read More »‘There Is No Planet B:’ Youth Of Gainesville ‘Strike’ For Climate Change
Calling it one of the largest youth-led “strikes” ever, The New York Times reported that over 100,000 people attended rallies in Berlin, Melbourne and London.
Read More »UF Panel Delves Into The Future Of Florida’s Farmlands Amid Climate Change
Constant changes in climate are directly affecting Florida's agriculture and forestry.
Read More »As Planet Heats Up, Scientists Race To Save Reefs
Over the last year, the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering has put together a team to find ways to protect dying coral reefs. These solutions range from gene editing to manipulating clouds.
Read More »How To Make Jacksonville More ‘Resilient’: 2 Committees’ Suggestions
By Brendan Rivers In early 2019, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced he was putting together an ad hoc committee on sea level rise. Clad in a rain jacket, he was speaking on the sand at a press conference about the completion of a beach renourishment project as he stood alongside with the mayors of Duval County’s beach towns. Praise followed quickly from environmentalists. “We’re pleased to see that the mayor is listening,” St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman said shortly afterward.
Read More »With Weather Extremes Projected For Jacksonville, Elected Officials Cool To Aggressive Climate Action
By Brendan Rivers & Ayurella Horn-Muller for Climate Central In September of 2017, flooding caused by Hurricane Irma destroyed the house that Tom Davitt was renting on Jacksonville’s Westside and wrecked tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of his uninsured possessions. “I rolled out of bed because I thought it was my alarm, and it was a tornado warning. And I stepped into a foot and a half of water,” the 56-year-old yacht broker said in February. “I’m basically starting all
Read More »The New Vanguard Protecting Historic Sites From Sea Level Rise: Volunteers
By Brendan Rivers Thousands of archaeologically significant sites in Florida could be underwater within a century as seas rise, but there isn’t enough manpower, time or money to thoroughly research and excavate them all. With the prospect of losing so many clues about the past, professional archaeologists are hanging their hopes on a volunteer force of history enthusiasts. One of them is Jaime Bach. A cultural anthropologist who recently moved to Gainesville, Florida from California, she spent much of her
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