FIU researchers help Keys officials tackle climate change

MIAMI (April 22, 2009) – The Florida Keys are on the front lines of climate change in the United States.

A unique community just a few feet above sea level, the Keys are already showing the early signs of climate change and are particularly vulnerable to the threat of a significant sea-level rise, according to FIU researchers who are helping Keys decision makers plan for climate-related events.

“South Florida is ground zero for climate change in the U.S.,” said Pallab Mozumder, an FIU environmental studies professor who spearheaded a study of how Keys leaders could confront the climate issue. “And the Keys are at the forefront.”

The Florida Keys, which are crucial to Florida’s tourism industry, have the third largest barrier reef in the world and the largest in the United States, more marine species than anywhere else in the country, and more than 20 national and state parks. The Keys are also home to approximately 80,000 residents, including 35,000 households.

 “A major gap exists today in understanding the science of climate change, and how to prepare to avoid losses in the future,” said Evan Flugman, an FIU graduate student in environmental studies who helped conduct the study.

Mozumder and Flugman conducted a survey last summer of experts serving the Florida Keys – management personnel, environmental specialists, policymakers, and community leaders at the local, state, regional and national level.

Mozumder and Flugman plan to discuss their findings with the FIU-Keys Working Group on Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise, which includes representatives from Monroe County, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, The Nature Conservancy, and other organizations.

The survey, created by FIU researchers, found that most of the 225 experts who participated were highly concerned about climate change and supported a proposal establishing a “Community Adaptation Fund” that would mobilize resources to support proactive measures to minimize the adverse effects.

The money for a “Community Adaptation Fund” could come through tolls, raising taxes or raising recreational and tourism-related fees, Mozumder explained. The funds could then be used for measures such as infrastructure investments, risk management, legal analysis of land use and building codes, zoning laws and public outreach.

Respondents to the survey also expressed support for creating a Monroe County climate change task force, organizing public workshops to provide education and training, and better sharing of expertise and expanded dialogue across departments and levels of government.

“In the face of rising vulnerability, new strategies and regulations need to be considered to help coastal communities adapt,” Flugman said. 

The lessons learned from planning for climate change in the Keys can be applied to Miami-Dade, Broward and other places in the world, such as Mozumder’s native Bangladesh, which faces potentially devastating impacts from sea level rise.

“We are hoping to provide a model that other places facing major climate change risks can follow,” Mozumder said. “This is an investment in our communities.”

For more information on the survey, please visit: http://climate.fiu.edu

Media contact: Madeline Baró at 305-348-2234.  

-FIU-

About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, FIU graduates more Hispanics than any other university in the country. Its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University.” In 2006 FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will welcome its first class in 2009. FIU’s College of Law recently received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association.