National Parks
Florida has several types of protected areas within its borders, including 3 national parks.
Biscayne NationalPark: located at the tip of the Florida peninsula, it protects the wetlands of the Biscayne Bay estuary, mainly made up of mangrove swamps, as well as the islands and coral reefs (Keys), which are very popular with divers. The park is home to exceptional biodiversity and historical relics.
Dry Tortugas National Park : located at the southwestern tip of the Florida peninsula, in the Keys archipelago, it protects the 11 islands of Dry Tortugas and their coral reefs, which are home to exceptional marine biodiversity and important birdlife.
Everglades NationalPark : located in southwest Florida and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it protects a portion of the Everglades, a savanna and flooded grassland that is the largest subtropical wetland in the country. The park provides a habitat for many resident and migratory birds and is home to a remarkable diversity of flora and fauna. However, it is weakened by the impacts of human activities (water withdrawals, pollution, nearby urbanization).
A territory subject to strong anthropic pressures
The artificialization of land and the fragmentation of natural environments, partly induced by urbanization, contribute to the worsening of coastal erosion but also to the decline of biodiversity.
Florida also suffers from its industrial liabilities, which sometimes lead to chronic pollution. In April 2021, the Tampa region made the headlines, coming close to an ecological disaster, forcing the state's governor to declare a state of emergency. The situation was related to the rupture of a reservoir containing more than one million m3 of industrial wastewater, in a former phosphate (fertilizer) production site, a reservoir that had already been subject to repairs and pollution before.
The area is also under water stress due to high water consumption for "non-critical" uses such as swimming pools, car washing, and lawn watering, the latter accounting for nearly 40% of Florida's potable water consumption. The increase in hospitalizations related to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant consumption of oxygen for resuscitation. However, liquid oxygen is also necessary for the potabilization of water, which generated a water shortage for several weeks in 2021 in the Orlando area where water limitation efforts were requested from residents.
Facing climate change
Florida is a state particularly vulnerable to climate change. This change is already palpable and is reflected in the greater frequency and intensity of extreme phenomena, including storms and hurricanes, such as Tropical Cyclone Irma in 2017, which caused widespread property destruction, evacuation of populations and deaths. According to scientific studies, sea level rise could reach more than 2 meters by the end of the century, leading to the submergence of part of the territory. However, climate denial is well established. It must be said that the state of Florida is noted for its climate-skeptic positions, with the enactment in 2015 of a law prohibiting public officials from mentioning global warming in their communication. Urbanization thus continues, leading to the destruction of natural environments including mangroves, reservoirs of biodiversity and natural barriers against coastal erosion. The phenomenon could also lead to the migration of fish species, the emergence of vector-borne diseases, and intensify the "red tides". Climate gentrification" is appearing in Florida, where developers are buying up land where the poorest populations live - far from the sea and higher up - and are less exposed to rising water levels.
Alternatives and ecological initiatives
President Biden brought the United States back into the Paris Climate Accords in 2021, the year a new IPCC report was released, attesting to the total responsibility of humans for climate change. Florida is a land of excess, just like the humans with the disproportionate carbon impact who have offered themselves a trip into space from Cape Canaveral in the summer of 2021. But it is also rich in those who are acting for a world that is more respectful of life. For example, a former American soccer player is behind Babcock Ranch, a city that is self-sufficient in water and energy (solar production), with hurricane-resistant and low-emission buildings. Florida is also teeming with initiatives led by associations and private citizens. Associations are also mobilizing to promote organic agriculture, such as Florida Organic Growers . Plastic pollution of the oceans is a global environmental issue. Resolving this pollution requires both a preventive approach and curative actions. The Coalition of Miami and the Beaches and the Surfrider foundation in Florida are working in this direction. We can also mention 4Ocean, a company with a mission founded in Florida by two former students and surfers in their time. 4Ocean has already cleaned up more than 7,800 tons of waste since 2017 around the world and also carries out awareness-raising actions. Note that in Florida took place in 2019 the largest underwater cleaning operation in the world. With more than 600 divers mobilized, 737 kg of waste and 27 kg of fishing nets were collected. The youth is not left out, like the association back2earth, founded by young people, which has set up a free compost collection service, door to door, and by bike. Kids Ecology Corps and Sustainable Florida work with school children.
