A roundup of news items related to climate change and other environmental issues in Florida:
Study: Retention ponds emit carbon dioxide, methane into environment | WGCU
Once considered the perfect way to let nature process rain that has run along the ground and picked up pollutants, most stormwater runoff ponds have now been found to emit greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
The most common stormwater control measure in America today, there are at least 76,000 of the ubiquitous ponds throughout the Sunshine State. Placed next to one another, stormwater ponds in Florida alone would encompass nearly 250 square miles, which is roughly the size of Chicago.
Now that there is widespread acceptance of global warming caused by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, new research out of Manatee County has discovered most stormwater retention ponds emit more of the gases into the atmosphere than they store, or sequester, down in the mud or sediment at the bottom.
New tires every 7,000 miles? Electric cars save gas but tire wear shocks Florida drivers | Miami Herald
It was love at first sight when Neil Semel saw the electric Mercedes EQS 450+ at a Pompano Beach dealership. The sedan was the perfect sleek black color his wife wanted, had only 2,200 miles and they both liked the idea of getting away from gasoline.
“I’ve always driven combustion engines and I thought it was time to try to save the planet,” Semel said.
But after less than 5,000 miles of driving around his Boca Raton neighborhood, Semel was shocked to find some essential — and very expensive — parts were already wearing out. The tires.
Beating the heat behind bars: The effort to add air conditioning to Florida prisons | Tallahassee Democrat
Floridians use any means they can to beat the heat during the state’s sweltering summers, but air conditioning is usually the first line of defense.
For inmates across the state, however, access to chilled air is more of a dream than a reality. Thousands serve their time in un-air-conditioned cells, and advocates have been pushing for change in the wake of last summer’s record breaking heat waves.
“This is a crisis. Especially this past summer is the worst heat we’ve ever seen,” said Connie Beroth-Edson, an advocate for inmates’ living conditions. “And it’s not going to get better. It’s going to get worse every summer if we don’t do something now.”
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.
