florida and the u.s.

Climate change and pollution are big issues all over the world here are some ways that it impacts Florida and The U.S.

Climate change from transportation affects everywhere on Earth. Some effects that it has on Florida and the U.S. are large in terms of our natural resources and environment. Some examples of this are how it pollutes the water. Zinc from car tires gets into our ocean and pollutes it. According to EPA (2020), air pollution from transportation contributes to smog, and worse air quality, this bad air quality has negative impacts on the health of U.S. citizens. Climate change is also causing changes in sea level, and in the last 80 years, Florida's sea level has risen about a foot (Harris, 2024). Everything we do that hurts our climate causes things like rising waters, more intense storms, and worse air quality, which can really make a difference in the U.S. and Florida.

Late model luxury Land Rover speeds through as a stranded driver tries to tow his car out of the flooded intersection. Tropical Storm Eta slammed into Miami leaving motorists crossing the intersection of SW 13th Street and Brickell Avenue stuck in flood water in heavy rains due to the storms weather bands on Monday, November 9, 2020.

Did you know that Florida and other parts of the U.S. are sinking?!

Figure 1. Composite Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of Florida, in feet NAVD88. Source: South Florida Regional Council report (2016)

Source: climatecenter.fsu.edu

The figure above shows how Earth's temperatures on land and in the oceans has changed a lot over the past 170 years. The zero line is like the usual temperature, based off the average temperatures from the 1900s. Above the zero line are the warmer years and below the zero line are the years colder that normal. (NOAA)

Source: climatecenter.fsu.edu

Carbon dioxide helps keep our planet warm enough to inhabit, yet extra amounts CO2 can make Earth too hot, which causes some major issues. Since 1958-2020, scientists have been measuring CO2 from Hawaii, Mauna Loa. This figure explains how CO2 levels have been increasing and decreasing over various years.

Source: climatecenter.fsu.edu

This figure shows the numbers of hurricanes and tropical storms for the Atlantic Basin from 1850-2022. Source: National Hurricane Center, NOAA.

Source: climatecenter.fsu.edu

This chart explains the amount of hotter days we might experience in the future if Earth warms by 2°C (3.6°F) or 3°C (5.4°F) compared to the period of time before industrial machines started to burn immense amounts of fossil fuels in the late 1800s. The following numbers, 2°C and 3°C, are how much hotter the Earth might get. (Climate Change - Florida Climate Center, 2020)

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