Blog Post 2 – Global warming along the coast of Pensacola, FL
Climate change is no longer an issue that can be dealt with in the future and pushed to the side. Overall, climate change can be described at the long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns. These can occur both naturally and from human activities. One of the main driving factors of climate change is human activities. For example, burning coal and fossil fuels. Climate change can affect various things such as an individual’s health, safety, housing, ability to grow food, and work. In recent years, warming oceans and melting glaciers have caused global sea levels to experience an increase. Florida as a whole has experienced an 8-inch increase in sea level since 1950. In addition, these higher temperatures are projected to lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease. In Pensacola, the effect of global warming has caused extreme flooding due to more frequent and intense storms. This increased amount of stormwater can affect runoff systems and lead to contamination of nutrients, trash, bacteria, or sediments in local waterways. Also, these warming temperatures have led to an increased danger to mold. Of course, working in conditions with mold can cause trouble breathing and frequent sinus infections.
Overall, the population of Pensacola Florida is hesitant to believe that climate change has caused such an issue in their community. In an article discussing the mold fiasco in 2020, different residents of Pensacola commented things such as “Mold? On the gulf coast? Shocking!” and “Never listen to religious fanatics who claim climate change is something we should fear. It's all BS. There is no crisis.” These comments clearly show that some people do not agree with all the climate change claims. However, older people such as my grandparents and their friends cannot complain enough about the many effects seen by climate change. Things such as the dreadful and miserable heat, their breathing problems, and issues they face year after year preparing for hurricane season. Even when it’s not hurricane season, rain is something they always have to be aware of.
Luckily, Pensacola has experience handling issues dealing with contamination due to flooding. One solution they implemented was converting a pond that was polluting contaminated rainwater in Pensacola Bay into a capture and runoff treatment system. This advanced system filtered out contaminants within the stormwater, improving the water quality of the pond and serving as a home for different wetland species. It also improved the sustainability of both Pensacola Bay and the coastal wetland. This project led to more projects in which finding was provided through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. In addition to addressing rainwater, the city council of Pensacola created the Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Task Force in 2018 to address more climate crisis issues. Also, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded the city with grant money to work on improving how coastal communities experience flooding, erosion, and habitat shifts from rising sea levels. These different programs set the groundwork for the improvement that needs to be seen in the future. In 2021, Pensacola has applied for a grant from the Florida DEP to conduct a vulnerability plan and develop a plan based on the results. Although none of these solutions involve a plan to limit Pensacola’s contributions to climate change, they do involve various plans to combat the side effects of climate change.