Paris, France – It was always an optimistic call to get a global climate change agreement in the can by a firm 6pm deadline on Friday and so it proved. Twelve hours before the deadline on Friday, Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister and president of COP21, announced that the international conference in Paris would indeed… Read More
The heat is on to seal a deal on the final day of the COP21 climate conference in Paris. After lots of talking in the French capital, a new draft accord has been produced. It seems governments have made progress on some issues, but there is still disagreement on others, including the monitoring of emission cuts.… Read More
By Maria Serrano
As the national debate over climate change intensifies, South Florida has become a flashpoint. And South Florida is much more than South Beach.
On Nov. 24, 2015, fifteen days after king tide day, the largest tidal range seen over the course of a year, the residential neighborhood known as the Upper East Side in Miami was still experiencing floods.
The area has an annual estimated income per household of $45,000.
Similar to Miami Beach, the Upper East Side is a middle-income community facing the consequences of sea level rise, but it has not received the attention or funding necessary to protect its residents, their houses, and small businesses.
Scientists, researchers, legislators and residents recently met at Little River Pocket Park, located in the Northeastern section of the neighborhood, to collect data, learn about sea level rise, and discuss that this is not simply an issue for Miami Beach, but a coastal issue for much of South Florida.
“It’s designed to get citizens involved in being a part of the solution,” Juliet Pinto a, Journalism Professor at Florida International University and organizer of the event for EyesOnTheRise.org said.
More events like this are being planned by EyesOnTheRise.org in the upcoming months to increase the awareness about sea level rise and the consequences for residents of South Florida.
WATCH: Sea Level Rise Impacts In Upper East Side of Miami