A roundup of news items related to climate change and other environmental issues in Florida:
Florida’s outdoor workers want heat safety. Why it’s an uphill battle | Tampa Bay Times
Florida lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sponsored bills over the past six of seven years that would protect Floridians who work outside in the heat.
The bills have stalled each time. People and groups who speak up for Florida workers say they expect the same during this legislative session.
And now, a double whammy: Another bill proposed this session would ban Florida cities and counties from implementing their own heat protections. Workers’ rights groups say the bill is likely a reaction to a measure in Miami-Dade County that seeks heat protections for some workers.
Proposed mine outside Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp nears approval despite environment damage concerns | Associated Press
A company’s plan to mine minerals near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its federally protected wildlife refuge neared final approval Friday as Georgia regulators released draft permits for the project, which opponents say could irreparably harm a natural treasure.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division said it will take public comments on the draft permits for 30 days before working up final versions to send to the agency’s director for approval.
Twin Pines Minerals of Birmingham, Alabama, has worked since 2019 to obtain government permits to mine titanium dioxide less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the southeastern boundary of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the largest U.S. refuge east of the Mississippi River.
These Florida counties could have ghost towns by 2100: new study | Patch.com
Thousands of U.S. towns and cities, including some in Florida, are in danger of becoming ghost towns by 2100 due to a multitude of issues, ranging from the decline of industry to lower birth rates to the impacts of climate change, according to a study published recently in the journal Nature Cities.
These and other factors could cause further erosion in the populations of about 15,000 cities nationwide — in every state but Hawaii and the District of Columbia — making them virtual ghost towns with only a fraction of the population they previously had, according to the study.
Overall, the researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago found that population projections for 2100 suggest that nearly half of 30,000 cities nationwide could experience population losses of between 12% to 23%, and in 27% to 44% of the populated area.
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.
