Media Roundup: Bloomberg grant; beneath Antarctic ice; Miami zoning changes; coastal states not prepared

Michael Bloomberg announces $2.5 million award for St. Pete climate change efforts

Tampa Bay Times

Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York City mayor and potential presidential candidate, is awarding St. Petersburg  $2.5 million to St. Petersburg to enhance the city’s efforts to combat climate change.

The $2.5 million worth of technical resources is supposed to help St. Petersburg significantly expand access to solar energy, particularly among lower income residents, promote transportation alternatives and reduce energy use in public and privately owned buildings.

Bloomberg said his foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, picked city’s with committed mayors and ambitious but realistic plans for cutting carbon emissions.

Climate’s Big Unknown: What’s Happening Beneath Antarctic’s Ice?

Wall Street Journal

DRY VALLEYS, Antarctica—They call it the Dreamcatcher. Its job is to help answer one of the most important and perplexing questions facing climate scientists today.

Dangling from a helicopter over Antarctica’s frozen landscape, the giant hexagonal instrument sends out electromagnetic waves that penetrate the sheets of ice below, giving scientists something like an X-ray of an ancient body.

Miami’s first rules on sea level rise target raised structures

Miami Today

The City of Miami is pursuing changes to the Miami 21 zoning code to address sea level rise, and the proposed legislation is gaining support.

City officials’ first attempt at new rules with climate change and sustainability in mind include a proposal to allow new construction and redevelopment to raise habitable structures out of the flood plain with added “freeboard,” up to 5 feet above the Base Flood Elevation.

“This is our first foray into resilience in the zoning code,” said Ryan Shedd, who works in the planning department for the city. He was detailing the legislation to the Miami River Commission’s Urban Infill and Greenways Subcommittee at a meeting Dec. 12.

Nearly 75% Of Coastal States Aren’t Prepared For Sea Level Rise

Forbes

As thousands of people in the Northeast lost power due to a pre-Christmas storm that put coastal towns on flood alert, the Pacific coast was grappling with its own flood warning brought upon by the largest high tides of the year(“King Tides”). As climate change progresses, storms will increase in strength,  sea levels will rise more rapidly, U.S. coasts will flood more frequently, and shoreline properties will disappear.

Each year, $500 million worth of coastal structures are lost as coastlines disappear. The federal government spends nearly $150 million each year to manage the loss of beaches and coastal real estate. Two-thirds of the U.S. population lives and works in coastal counties. Ocean-related businesses are responsible for over $352 billion of the U.S.’ annual GDP. By the end of the century, as sea levels rise between six to ten feet and nearly 2.5 million coastal homes experience chronic flooding, many coastal livelihoods will be put at risk.