By David A. Duckenfield, Miami Climate 365, and Michael Berkowitz, University of Miami Climate Resilience Institute
If this winter felt like weather whiplash in Miami, that’s because it was.
The impact of a changing climate doesn’t simply mean hotter days. It means greater volatility, such as longer dry stretches punctuated by heavier downpours. It means chaotic arctic jet streams that freeze-frame iguanas.
A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, fueling intense rainfall, while higher temperatures accelerate evaporation, deepening drought conditions. For low-lying coastal communities like ours, rising seas further limit how efficiently stormwater drains away.
The result is what we’ve just experienced: drought and flooding in the same season.
So what can Miami residents do to become more resilient?
There are many answers to be discovered during the second annual Miami Climate Week 2026. This is a week when ideas turn into partnerships and awareness turns into action.
Miami Climate Week is quickly becoming an important moment in South Florida’s civic calendar — not because it dwells on climate risks, but because it mobilizes solutions.
Across more than 40 events countywide, residents, researchers, business leaders, artists, students, policymakers and community advocates will come together to explore how we adapt to and mitigate climate change in ways that are smart, coordinated and locally grounded.
The week’s programming will be anchored by the Resilience 365 Conference, hosted by the University of Miami Climate Resilience Institute. This gathering will bring together leading voices in science, infrastructure, finance and community engagement to move the conversation from awareness to implementation.
This year also marks the launch of the second phase of Resilient305 Collaborative (R305C), a multi-institutional partnership uniting academia, community organizations, local governments and business leaders across greater Miami and the beaches. The collaborative will introduce new resilience research along with the Miami Resilience Meter, data-driven tool designed to measure progress, identify gaps and guide strategic investment.
Because resilience cannot be built on anecdotes alone, it must be informed by research, metrics and accountability.
During the week, resilience becomes a hands-on endeavor.
It takes the form of getting your hands in the soil during “A Day in the Dirt” with The Underline, restoring native landscapes that absorb stormwater and cool our neighborhoods. It can be exploring the nexus of art and climate at The Bass Museum, where culture helps shape public imagination. Or joining Miami Waterkeeper for a beach cleanup that protects the ecosystems buffering our coastline.
This is how Miami Climate Week builds community participation.
Extreme heat and flooding are not abstract threats. They affect our homes, businesses, public health, insurance costs and infrastructure. Communities that are informed by scientific data and supported by trusted local organizations are best equipped to meet these challenges head-on.
The week will connect neighbors to knowledge, align public and private sectors, and accelerate practical, nature-based solutions that strengthen our city block by block.
As Miamians, we must adapt and mitigate methodically and collaboratively to protect our lives, livelihoods and this beautiful sun-speck we call home.
The weather we experienced this winter is not an anomaly. It is a signal.
From March 14–21, Miami Climate Week is your invitation to respond. We invite you to attend one of the 40-plus activations, to volunteer, to learn and to collaborate.
Resilience is not someone else’s responsibility. It is ours.
David A. Duckenfield is executive director of Miami Climate 365 and Michael Berkowitz is executive director of the University of Miami Climate Resilience Institute. Banner photo: Lightning strikes the water just off South Beach (iStock image).
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