The Invading Sea
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Multimedia
  • Public opinion
  • About
No Result
View All Result
The Invading Sea
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Multimedia
  • Public opinion
  • About
No Result
View All Result
The Invading Sea
No Result
View All Result

Hurricane study shows ‘nobody in Florida is protected,’ groups suing feds over gopher tortoises

A changing climate means damaging winds will reach well beyond the coast, the First Street Foundation's founder said

by Nathan Crabbe
March 27, 2023
in News
0

A roundup of news items related to climate change and other environmental issues in Florida: 

The future of hurricanes? ‘The study clearly shows nobody in Florida is protected’ | The News-Press

For the thousands still living under tarped roofs in Southwest Florida, the approaching hurricane season means more than post-traumatic stress; they’re facing the next round of potentially destructive storms with even less protection than they had pre-Ian.

Massive destruction can be seen on Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian. (Stockphoto image)

A new report will likely do little to ease that anxiety. The nonprofit First Street Foundation worked with prominent MIT meteorologist Kerry Emanuel on the peer-reviewed analysis, published last month. The study combined site-specific history, new wind modeling tools and topographic data to predicts risk, track and intensity of hurricanes ‒ both currently and in the coming decades.

The uncomfortable conclusion: A changing climate means damaging winds will reach well beyond the coast into Florida’s heartland, said First Street founder and CEO Matthew Eby.

Read more

Environmental groups are suing the federal government over slowing protections for gopher tortoises | WUSF

A gophe tortoise (Jkrup4 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Environmental groups say they will sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to protect the gopher tortoise.

Elise Bennett, Florida director of the Center for Biological Diversity, based in St. Petersburg, said federal environmental regulators had previously found the tortoises required protection, but now say they will not be listed as a threatened or endangered species.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made some really bleak projections, including that, by 2100, we could lose nearly three quarters of remaining gopher tortoise populations,” Bennett said. “That is an incredibly huge loss, especially considering that the species has been in decline for decades now.”

Read more

Climate advocates say the oceans are overlooked in climate change. Biden’s new action plan would change that. | USA Today

President Joe Biden released a first-of-its-kind U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan on Tuesday, which he said will “harness the tremendous power of the ocean to help in our fight against the climate crisis.”

Speaking at the White House Conservation in Action Summit, Biden said: “We can reduce emissions by building offshore wind farms, better protect our coastal and fishing communities from worsening storms, changing fisheries and other impacts on climate change.”

Ocean advocates say it comes not a minute too soon.

Read more

If you have any news items of note that you think we should include in our next roundup, please email The Invading Sea Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. 

Tags: Center for Biological DiversityFirst Street Foundationgopher tortoisehurricanesPresident Joe BidenSouthwest FloridaU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceU.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan
Previous Post

Climate change could spur severe economic losses, Biden administration says

Next Post

To protect Florida’s waterways, reform the U.S. sugar program

Next Post
An aerial view of sugarcane fields in South Florida. (iStockphoto image)

To protect Florida’s waterways, reform the U.S. sugar program

Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

About this website

The Invading Sea is a nonpartisan source for news, commentary and educational content about climate change and other environmental issues affecting Florida. The site is managed by Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Environmental Studies in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

 

 

Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest climate change news and commentary in your email inbox by visiting here.

Donate to The Invading Sea

We are seeking continuing support for the website and its staff. Click here to learn more and donate.

Calendar of past posts

March 2023
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Feb   Apr »

© 2022 The Invading Sea

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Multimedia
  • Public opinion
  • About

© 2022 The Invading Sea

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In