Climate Collaboration

Refreshing, in this world of "fake news" and major partisanship (not even just politically) to see collaboration in action. Especially when it come to comes to combating science denial with factual information.

This headline from the Tampa Bay Times earlier this week made my day:
"Florida Newsrooms Band Together To Cover the Effects of Climate Change." From Mark Katches' article:

"A group of Florida newsrooms have banded together to cover climate change. The Tampa Bay Times will be joining the Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Palm Beach Post and WLRN Public Media to produce stories about the issue. Other media partners are sure to come aboard. The initial partners have already begun to share stories and ideas. Topics the media partnership will explore include the dangers of increasingly destructive hurricanes, the effects on native species and the impacts to the economy. We’ll also probe what lies ahead for coastal towns and cities jeopardized by rising sea levels."

It makes sense on a lot of levels.

1. Florida, as a peninsula, has a lot riding on the rising waters that climate change brings.

2. 40% of hurricanes hit Florida. Since hurricanes form over warm waters, rising oceanic temperatures is a cause of increased hurricanes.

3. The photo shows two levels of blue, showing how much of Florida's land is 0-10 meters (32.8 feet) above sea level. Approximately 2.4 million people are within 4 feet above sea level.

4. Florida's population of 21.6 million continues to grow, as it has for decades. The land mass isn't! More homes on land that's not much above sea level leads to a lot of problems for a lot of people if you waters continue to rise.

5. More reporters--working together, sharing resources--can cover more news and spread the word farther, going into greater depth.

6. Given in 2018 we got a total of about 142 minutes (2 hours and 22 minutes) of broadcast time on major news shows, we need more information brought to the public about the realities and science of climate change. Kudos to my former home of Florida for doing just that!

Image from https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/4818/elevation-of-southern-florida and https://www.warner.edu/storm-safety-update-warner-university/ and screenshot of https://www.tampabay.com/breaking-news/florida-newsrooms-band-together-to-cover-the-effects-of-climate-change-20190625/