By Geoff Brumfiel, NPR Carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. are on the rise again after several years of decline, and a booming economy is the cause. That’s according to a report released in January from the Rhodium Group, an independent research firm that tracks CO2 emissions in the U.S. “It appears based …
Read More »‘Retreat’ Not An Option For A California Beach Town, But It’s Already Happening In Duval County
By Jessica Palombo & Nathan Rott, NPR In Jacksonville Beach, Kimberlee Prescott is selling her home to the county so it can be torn down. The house, built just over two decades ago at 3640 Sanctuary Way S., is located in unfortunate proximity to a Florida Department of Transportation drainage culvert along Butler Boulevard. After Hurricanes Matthew and Irma, rain and storm surges caused “tremendous damage, expense, time loss, and disruption to the homeowner and her family,” according to Jacksonville
Read More »Sandy Soil And Rising Seas Spell Septic Tank Disaster In Florida
By Brendan Rivers Communities across Florida are already grappling with aging septic tanks, which leak into groundwater and are considered a leading cause of toxic algae blooms. As sea level rise is expected to worsen that situation, the state and cities are beginning to tackle the expensive task of converting septic systems to sewer or newer septic technologies. It’s no small challenge. Floridians are estimated to be using 2.6 million septic systems, most of them the conventional variety with two
Read More »As Seas Rise, Florida Will Likely Lose More Coastal Property Value Than Any Other State
By Melissa Ross, Brendan Rivers & Bill Bortzfield Long before rising seas permanently swamp homes, millions of Americans living in coastal communities will likely face more frequent and disruptive high-tide flooding — and the effects will ripple through the local economy. As the flooding increases over time, coastal residents will be forced to make difficult and costly choices. And if home values decline, an eroding property tax base would jeopardize funding for local services and infrastructure, such as roads, schools, and
Read More »Real Estate And Sea Level Rise: A Buyer’s Guide
By Brendan Rivers In the Tampa Bay area, Pinellas County is teaching real estate agents how to field questions about flooding — an increasingly common concern when homebuyers talk to Realtors. “They really are the boots on the ground for all of the floodplain managers everywhere,” said Lisa Foster, the county’s floodplain administrator. She developed the Real Estate Flood Disclosure training program, a first of its kind in Florida. Realtors are eager, she said, to take the classes on everything
Read More »‘Lift That Nest Up’: Florida’s Endangered Birds Threatened By Floods
By Brendan Rivers Sea level rise and other effects of climate change are now adding to the list of challenges facing some of Florida’s smallest residents: rare birds. On the St. Marys River in Northeast Florida, just a stone’s throw from the Georgia border in Yulee, the nonprofit White Oak Conservation Foundation is breeding and researching wildlife. You were introduced to some of its residents if you watched the last season of Game of Thrones — though you wouldn’t have
Read More »Florida’s Largest Live Oak Protected Amid Gainesville’s Canopy Loss
From 1996 to 2016, Gainesville had lost 11 percent of its tree canopy. But green spaces like Cellon Oak Park, home to Florida's largest live oak, help keep biodiversity alive in the city.
Read More »Santa Fe College Recognized As Top Fulbright Institution Among Community Colleges
For the first time, Santa Fe College was recognized by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for being one of 26 baccalaureate/associate institutions in the nation to produce a Fulbright scholar.
Read More »Florida High School Football Teams Go Through Heat Acclimatization Week
For the first week of practice, football teams competing in the Florida High School Athletic Association go through heat acclimatization. During this week, teams will progress from helmets to helmets and shoulder pads and go through non-contact drills and conditioning to get accustomed to the heat.
Read More »UF Combating Carbon Footprint With Sustainable Transportation
The University of Florida is combating its carbon footprint — from the vehicles driven by students, faculty and staff — by adding and improving sustainable modes of transportation.
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