Floridians believe global warming will have dangerous impacts on the state
June 24th, 2008
[B]Residents want government to do more to address climate change[/B]
A new survey of Floridians finds that most are convinced that global warming is happening now and that more should be done by key leaders to help Florida deal with climate change. The survey is the first-ever study of Floridians' opinions about global warming and was conducted by researchers at Yale University and the University of Miami, with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation.
A survey of 1,077 adults in Florida from May 1, 2008 to May 19, 2008 was fielded by Knowledge Networks, using a representative, online research panel. The survey's key findings include:
-- A majority of Floridians are convinced that global warming is happening (71%) and that global warming is caused mainly by human activities (55%), or caused equally by humans and natural changes (13%).
-- 65 percent believe that global warming is already having or will have dangerous impacts on people in Florida within the next 10 years.
-- 69 percent believe that parts of the state's coasts may need to be abandoned due to rising sea levels over the next 50 years.
Likewise, large majorities believe that global warming will cause worse storms, hurricanes and tornadoes (80%), droughts and water shortages (80%), flooding of major cities (68%), food shortages (68%), less tourism (64%), and increased rates of disease (57%).
"Floridians believe global warming will have serious consequences here at home and are growing increasingly concerned about the issue," said Dr. Kenny Broad, associate professor at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
In line with these concerns, large majorities support state policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even if these policies impact their own pocketbook. For example:
-- 65 percent support requiring electric utilities to produce at least 20% of their electricity from wind, solar or other renewable energy sources, even it if costs the average household an extra $100 per year.
-- 65 percent support a state subsidy to encourage building owners to replace old water heaters, air conditioners, light bulbs, and insulation, even if it cost the average household $5 a month in higher taxes.
-- 63 percent support the installation of solar panels on state-owned buildings, even if the electricity generated is significantly more expensive than what state government normally pays for its electricity.
"Large majorities of Floridians want Governor Crist, their state legislators, and their own mayors to do more to address global warming," said Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the Yale Project on Climate Change at Yale University. "Many Floridians also say they are willing to act individually to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
Source: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
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2. Droughts/water shortages AND flooding... it's one or the other, probably neither.
3. Food Shortages - How?
4. Decreased Tourism - Gas Prices, humidity and your wierd laws should have taken care of that already.
5. Diseases - Agreed. Hotter changing climate, more bugs moving to new places...
Either way, I tend not to take scientific advice from retirees with vested interests.
When a lot of people's homes get blown down, washed away or otherwise destroyed, people starting thinking "hmm, maybe we should do something about this." And given a few weeks without electricity, lots of folks get time to think about it.
Vested retirees aren't Delphic oracles, just marketeers.
1) Higher temperatures affect heat transport, in any case where heat transport through water is slowed, heat transfer through the atmosphere will increase. Causing larger storms.
2) Actually it's both, rain patterns move to new areas that didn't used to get as much rain, causing flooding. The area where that rain would have fallen enters a drought.
3) Changes in rainfall cause crop failure. Migration of insects to new area's also cause crop failures, either in the crops they eat or the crops they are no longer pollinating.
http:governorfarbstein.tripod.com
1) No. "Since the 1940s the National Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory has documented a decrease in both the intensity and number of hurricanes." It seems like there are more because of population density increases at the coasts.
2) Modern Irrigation. If it's raining more in one place and less in another you provide a way to move that water around. Dry areas prone to infrequent heavy rains have been doing it for a long time.
3)Warmer more CO2 will make stronger crops, if not, modern pesticides / new crops.
We need to start adapting to our environment instead of trying to adapt the environment to us.
Sine qua non.
2) http://www.msnbc....om/RS.4/
3) http://pubs.acs.o...est.html
Floridians need to move to higher ground soon!
And the Democrats are any different? I think not.
I'd need a ladder to get six feet above sea level. So would a lot of other people in South FL.
Republicans have money scandals, Democrats have sex scandals. Of the two it's easier to keep my wife away from Congress than it is to keep Congress out of my wallet. Corruption of some sort will never go away, so you may as well chose the one you can live with.