While Florida has been described as “ground zero” for the impacts of climate change, it is also home to many people working to adapt to and mitigate these impacts.
The Invading Sea is seeking to highlight these individuals through an ongoing series of question-and-answer interviews. These Q&As feature Floridians on the front lines of addressing climate change and other environmental challenges, including academics, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders and public officials.
The Q&As published to date can be found by clicking their headlines below. The list is being updated as new pieces are published.
- ‘We’re tapping into the natural environment’ — A Q&A on the potential of producing energy from currents and other ocean resources
- An alternative to rooftop solar — A Q&A with the founder of Pavilion Solar
- A bombing range’s environmental benefits – A Q&A with Avon Park Air Force Range’s operations officer
- Developing biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastics – A Q&A with the co-founder of StrawFish
- Turning seaweed from beaches into a building material – A Q&A with the co-founder of Sargassum Eco Lumber
- A tool for understanding flood risk amid climate change — A Q&A with the CEO of HighTide Intelligence
- Climate change could cause ‘global coral bleaching events every other year by 2050’ — Coral Vita’s co-founder discusses reef restoration
- Making boating more environmentally friendly — A Q&A with the founder of an electric boat company
- Bringing rooftop solar to lower-income Floridians — SELF’s executive director discusses how $156 million in federal funding will be spent
- Supporting entrepreneurs in ‘blue tech’ — The founder of Seaworthy Collective talks about ocean and climate innovations
- Florida ‘should be ground zero for the blue economy in the United States’ – State Rep. Kelly Skidmore discusses efforts to promote marine industries
- An ‘effective and sustainable way’ to protect Florida’s coastline — University of Miami researcher Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos discusses SEAHIVE
- Empowering women in climate-vulnerable areas — The founder of Project Alianza discusses the nonprofit’s work in Central America
- A new plant-based solution may be the next step in preventing beach erosion — A Q&A with ShoreLock co-founders Troy Scott and Blayne Ross
- ‘I think it’s one of the most important initiatives that we have right now’ — Rep. Lindsay Cross discusses the Florida Wildlife Corridor and climate change
- A new way to make coastal barriers — The co-founder of 1Print discusses protecting the coast while creating marine habitat
- Protecting coastal cities while protecting the environment — Anya Freeman of Miami-based Kind Designs talks about her company’s 3D-printed living seawalls
- ‘I would like to live in a Florida where I don’t have to ask what’s in the water’ — The director of VoteWater talks about environmental advocacy
- ‘It’s very much an icon when you think about the Caribbean’ — Megan Davis of the Queen Conch Lab talks about efforts to restore the species and help Caribbean communities
- ‘Everglades restoration won’t work unless the water is clean’ — WLRN’s Jenny Staletovich discusses reporting on water quality in Florida
- ‘The best ideas that stay in the lab are never going to impact the world’ — A Q&A with the executive director of the Marine Research Hub
- ‘My population is beyond the fear of climate change. They live it.’ — The head of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action discusses the health impacts of a warming planet
- ‘Historic buildings tend to be built better’ — A historic preservationist discusses how climate change is affecting historic sites
- ‘I believe in … the ability of humanity to innovate when under pressure’ — A Miami developer discusses his efforts to promote climate change solutions
- ‘Adaptation and mitigation go together’ — A Stetson professor talks about addressing rising sea levels
- ‘Young people really have led the climate movement’ — A Q&A with the political director of the Student Public Interest Research Groups
- ‘You can go from a Category 1 to a Category 4 rather quickly’ — A geosciences professor discusses how climate change affects hurricanes and other hazards
- ‘Climate change is the single biggest threat to coral reefs’ – A Q&A on restoring reefs harmed by extreme heat and other climate impacts
- ‘Every small action can ripple out into a big action’ — A CLEO Institute staff member discusses climate advocacy
- ‘Museums really serve as this trusted messenger’ — A Fort Lauderdale museum’s CEO talks about educating the public on climate change
- “The Legislature is still very shy about the words ‘climate change’” — A Florida lawmaker discusses the importance of climate advocacy and policy
- ‘Our state has taken the bull by the horns’ — Resiliency Florida’s director speaks on efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change
- ‘Our beaches really are taking the brunt of sea-level rise’ — The head of a beach preservation group talks about efforts to make Florida more resilient
- ‘The biggest enemy of resilience is lack of social cohesion’ — The director of a faith-based climate group speaks on helping communities in need
- ‘Plant a seed’ — A meteorologist discusses the importance of talking about climate change
- ‘Too late to turn back’ — A professor at the University of Miami details the severity of sea-level rise
- ‘There are no alternative facts in my world’ — The director of FAU’s Marine Lab discusses climate change’s impact on sea turtles and more
- A climatologist explains how climate change ‘affects all aspects of our lives’ — A Q&A with Emily Powell, assistant state climatologist at the Florida Climate Center
- Water is ‘our way of life’ but makes Florida vulnerable to climate change — A Q&A with Maya Burke, assistant director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program
- A young activist tells why she sued the state of Florida over climate change — A Q&A with Delaney Reynolds, CEO of the Sink or Swim Project
Email Invading Sea Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu if you have an idea for a Q&A subject. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
