A roundup of news items related to climate change and other environmental issues in Florida:
Florida echoes half century of wins and losses from Endangered Species Act | Florida Today
A half century ago, Americans decided to no longer leave “survival of the fittest” to nature. Too many animals were dying at the hands of humans, including our nation’s symbol — the bald eagle.
The Vietnam War and Watergate dominated headlines. America launched its first space station, Skylab, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The Yom Kippur War — Egypt and Syria’s surprise attack on Israel — had just raged and passed. The Exorcist horrified audiences.
But it was the loss of wildlife that also mortified America that year. People were fed up. The public sentiment and politics aligned. From that backdrop, on Dec. 28, 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act, the most comprehensive conservation measure the world had ever seen, giving legal leverage to stop actions that kill or harm the nation’s most vulnerable species.
Florida scientists are giving coral IVF treatments to help bolster dying reef | Business Insider
After marine heatwaves devastated the coral reef off the coast of Florida, scientists are now considering ways to toughen up coral in the face of rising ocean temperatures.
Following a record marine heat wave this past summer, Florida’s iconic coral reef experienced massive bleaching and die-offs. One estimate from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute estimated that 60% of monitored coral reefs were bleached as a result of the stress — a sign that the coral could potentially die off if the stress is prolonged.
Ian Enochs, the head of the coral program at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, told the Wall Street Journal that his team is looking at a variety of methods to help the vulnerable sea creatures bolster their numbers.
Your next Miami meal to go could be a mystery. It can save money and help the planet | Miami Herald
The Too Good To Go app expanding in South Florida offers bargain meals to help reduce food waste and climate change. You just don’t know what you’re getting in the to-go bag.
Between all the restaurants, bakeries, hotels, cafes and assorted other eateries, a massive amount of food is made and sold every day in South Florida. But a staggering amount, an estimated third, goes unpurchased and winds up in the garbage.
That’s bad for the businesses but also bad for the climate. The food supply chain produces tons of greenhouse gasses and sending food to rot in landfills generates methane, another damaging emission.
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. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
