If Floridians are
going to withstand the rise in sea level that is expected to accompany
climate change, planning needs to start now, according to a new policy
assessment by the Marine Policy Institute at Mote Marine Laboratory.
According to the
report "Policy Tools for Local Adaptation to Sea Level Rise" by Barbara
Lausche, Deputy Director of the Marine Policy Institute, scientists
project that sea level may rise as much as 14 inches by 2080, and
possibly by two feet or more by the end of this century because of
greenhouse gas emissions and melting glaciers. While policies are being
implemented that are designed to reduce future greenhouse gas
emissions, Floridians aren't yet making plans to deal with the changes
expected to occur and already under way because of past emissions.
(Download the full report or a synopsis of the report at www.mote.org/lsi.)
To jumpstart
community discussion about climate change and how the expected sea
level rise will affect Florida, the Marine Policy Institute is
convening a two-day symposium for lawmakers, community planners and
residents on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 12-13. The symposium will be
streamed live online on Sarasota County's website at www.scgov.net
by Access Sarasota, Sarasota County's public access station. Streaming
will begin at 8:30 a.m. and run throughout the presentations each day.
The symposium,
"Land-Sea Interactions in Southwest Florida," will present an overview
of the land-use issues that Southwest Florida is expected to face due
to sea-level rise, and economic growth, along with a discussion of the
policy tools that local governments can use to address these issues.
Most of these policy tools are already in place and do not require
major legislative changes before local governments can begin taking
action.
"Sea level rise is
expected to have significant impacts on places like Southwest Florida,
but as a region, we're not yet planning for the impacts," said Dr.
Frank Alcock, Director of the Marine Policy Institute at Mote and
Associate Professor of Political Science at New College of Florida. "In
order for Southwest Florida to be resilient in the face of sea level
rise, we really do need to begin addressing the challenges associated
with figuring out where to put utilities, houses and businesses. These
are all decisions that are made on the local level, so it's very
important for us to begin thinking and talking about these things now."
The symposium is
sponsored by the Marine Policy Institute at Mote Marine Laboratory, New
College of Florida, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice,
Sarasota County, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, the Sarasota Bay Estuary
Program, USF-Sarasota/Manatee Institute for Public Policy and
Leadership, Collins Center for Public Policy, the Economic Development
Corporation of Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota.
Symposium Speakers include:
• Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton
• Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota
• Commissioner Jon Thaxton, Sarasota County
•
Dr. James Murley, Director of the Center for Urban and Environmental
Solutions at Florida Atlantic University and Chair of Governor Crist's
Climate and Energy Commission
• Dr. Sean Snaith, Director of the
Institute for Economic Competitiveness within the College of Business
Administration at the University of Central Florida
• Mr. Rex Jensen, President/CEO, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch
• Ms. Pam Truitt, President, Truitt Consulting, Inc.
• Ms. Teri Hansen, President/CEO, Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice
• Ms. Janet Bowman, Associate Director of Government Relations, The Nature Conservancy
•
Dr. Michael Orbach, Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy at Duke
University and former Director of the Duke Marine Laboratory
• Mr.
Steve Seibert, Senior Vice President and Director of Policy at the
Collins Center for Public Policy and former Secretary for the Florida
Department of Community Affairs
Symposium Details
What: Land-Sea Interactions in Southwest Florida: A Symposium
When:
8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12 (followed by a cocktail reception
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13
Where:
The Jean Purcell Hendry Conference Hall at the Ann and Alfred Goldstein
Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center at Mote Marine
Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, City Island, Sarasota
Registration: Pre-registration can be done online at www.mote.org/lsi or at 941-487-4365. Registration can also be done at the conference
Cost:
$40 pre-registration ($50 at the door) for both days; $20 single-day
registration (no cocktail reception) or $30 single-day registration
with cocktail reception.
Etc.: Download "Policy Tools for Local Adaptation to Sea Level Rise" and the full conference agenda at www.mote.org/lsi.
