Climate Change

The planet’s temperature spiked on Tuesday to its hottest day in at least 44 years and likely much longer, and Wednesday could become the third straight day Earth unofficially marks a record-breaking high, the latest in a series of climate-change extremes that alarm but don’t surprise scientists.The globe’s average temperature reached 62.9 degrees Fahrenheit (17.18 degrees Celsius) on Tuesday, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a common tool based on satellite data and computer simulations and used by climate scientists for a glimpse of the world’s condition. On Monday, the average temperature was 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit (17.01 degrees Celsius), breaking a record that lasted only 24 hours.

The population of mosquitos is growing along with Florida's population of people and brings diseases like dengue fever and malaria. Climate change is sending non-native, invasive mosquito species to North America – specifically Florida.

If Florida’s iconic strawberry industry is going to survive climate change brought on by carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, those involved must be willing to embrace major changes in how nearly everything is done – and quickly. That’s according to University of Florida agricultural researchers working with the Environmental Defense Fund, who have issued a new report detailing the grave threat global warming is posing to the state’s $400 million strawberry industry

Looking back at 2022′s weather with months of analysis, the World Meteorological Organization said last year really was as bad as it seemed when people were muddling through it.And about as bad as it gets — until more warming kicks in.

We get a preview of the upcoming 2023 Southwest Florida Climate Summit, which is this Wednesday and Thursday, March 15 and 16, at the Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers. It’s hosted and presented by the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP) and is open to everyone. WGCU Public Media is sponsoring the summit. The goal is to share knowledge, showcase climate action, engage leadership across sectors, and mobilize collaboration throughout the Central & Southwest Florida region. A variety of experts in different fields who will gather to share dialogue and ideas on how to expand Southwest Florida’s capacity to respond to climate challenges, and to build increased community resiliency.

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the Aspen Ideas: Climate conference, Wednesday, in Miami Beach, Fla. The conference was co-hosted by the Aspen Institute and the City of Miami Beach.

A major regional climate conference this week brought together a diverse collection of people and their ideas to work together to find a sustainable way of life in the future despite some differing beliefs how to get from here to there. Dozens of community members from environmental nonprofits, academia, community groups, and local, state, and federal governments attended the day-long Southwest Florida Climate and Community Summit in Naples.

Delegations from nearly 200 countries came together earlier this month in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt for the United Nations 27th Climate Change Conference, referred to as COP27. The goal was to bring countries together to try to take action towards achieving the world's collective climate goals as agreed to under the Paris Agreement in 2015. The consensus among many attendees was that COP27 was a disappointment. We get a first-hand take on what happened over those two weeks in Egypt with three local activists who are part of a team that produced daily video updates summarizing what was unfolding at the conference.

While it might seem obvious that a devastating hurricane would have an immediate negative impact on the mental well-being of those impacted, there is a growing understanding among mental health professionals that underlying concerns over possible future natural disasters is also weighing on many people’s minds. And there is growing evidence that the growing size and scope of natural disasters is being driven by climate change. We talk with Dr. Lise Van Susteren, she is a forensic psychiatrist who is an expert on the physical and psychological impacts of climate change.

Most researchers agree it’s not valid to point to a single storm and say it was 'caused' by the warming world — too many variables. But there’s a growing consensus that the sea level rise and higher temperatures in the last hundred years have already impacted storms like Ian and may continue to do so in the future.