The city of Miami is regarded as one of the most vulnerable towns to the issues surrounding storm surge, hurricanes, and even flooding. Miami has the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The city has close to a 16% probability of encountering the effects of hurricanes each year (de Beurs et al. 9). Averagely, a hurricane passes within 50 miles of the northern part of Miami metropolitan after seven years. In addition, climate changes also affect Miami by increasing the real estate values in Miami areas that tend to have a more significant elevation and subsequently decreasing the values in lower elevation regions. The issue of poor environment maintenance in Miami, Florida, has led to climate change, resulting in sea-level rise, an increase of flood levels, and droughts, and warmer temperatures in the area.
The impacts of climate changes are attributable to the artificial increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Over the recent years, individuals from Florida have experienced increased levels of flooding due to the rise in the sea level (Palm and Bolsen, “The Development” 7). In addition, there has also been a concern about the probability of experiencing frequent and intense hurricanes. The state has been described as a “ground zero” city for climate changes, global warming issues, and the rise of sea levels. Such is because the majority of its residents and their economy are based on the low elevation oceanfront.
Most Florida residents think that climate changes and issues tend to happen in Florida at higher levels than in other states. Climate change in Miami dramatically impacts the natural environment, animals, and even plants. It also plays a critical role in aggravating soil erosion and declining organic matters. The impacts of climate change on soil carbon storage are often associated with changing the atmospheric conditions, precipitation trends, and increased temperature levels. The intense precipitation levels and higher river discharges are climate-related issues that negatively influence soil degradation.
In addition, deforestation and other human activities also contribute to climatic changes. It also has significant and adverse effects on the ecosystems as well as various species. Climate change has been at the forefront in contributing to land use and other crucial resources. These may be damaging, especially when comparing it to the direct effects arising from their scopes, scale, and speed, including air, water, and soil pollution, and may reduce climate ecosystem resilience (Baldauf et al. 1280). Furthermore, climate change affects the residents through the trauma of floods, droughts, and heatwaves. This trauma leads to mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and even suicide in most cases. Furthermore, prolonged heat spells are an illustration of more extended allergy periods and more respiratory complications. The Miami residents also encounter power outages as the extreme weather conditions tend to completely paralyze the transport and hospital services when needed the most (Mukherjee 690). This causes disruption and affects the resident as lack of power has a negative impact.
In Miami, tourism is one of the largest financial industries as it accounts for more than one million jobs directly and another two million jobs indirectly. However, from an ecological point of view, the city is considered vulnerable to climate and climate change (Harrington et al. 302). The town experiences approximately 400 miles of a hypercritical eroded coastline, resulting in various inconveniences for the tourism industry. Climate change affects tourism directly by impacting the choice of destination and the period. It also influences the quality of the experience and negative points of view.
Miami tourism is often endangered by the changes and challenges associated with climate. The coastal parts vital for tourism include the Florida Keys, and Tampa is likely to face floods and disappear under the waters in the few decades to come. The continuous and intense storms and hurricanes have not yet been solved, significantly hindering tourism in the Miami region (Harrington et al. 303). Nevertheless, the majority of the Florida residents have been in the process of implementing climate change mitigation techniques, while politics have hindered the statewide programs in the United States of America.
The city recently implemented the “Miami-Dade County’s Climate Action Strategy,” which is regarded as an essential city technique of curbing the greenhouse impacts, creating jobs, and improving the health of its citizens. In 2008, a committee was created to aid in coming up with a strategy that will reduce greenhouse emissions. The governor then, Charlie Crist, signed several orders that paved the way for designing techniques of curbing climate change in Miami (Palm and Bolsen, “The Science of Climate” 12). In addition, the officials and the relevant stakeholders have also released a strategy and plan that will enable individuals in Miami to survive and live with more water through the two feet of sea-level rise by the 2060 model (Palm and Bolsen, “The Science of Climate” 10). The commission from Miami Beach City also implemented a resolution that will enable them to achieve zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.
In conclusion, the problem of poor environmental maintenance in Miami, Florida, has led to climate change, resulting in floods and droughts. The menace remains a challenge in Miami as it has played a critical role in increasing real estate values in regions perceived to be of higher elevation. However, it decreases the value of areas considered to be of low altitude. Even though the sea level rise still threatens the future of Miami as it might end up being underwater in 2050. In addition, climate change has also had a negative influence on the tourism sector as it has brought several inconveniences and unnecessary threats and concerns. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the state and the relevant stakeholders in this city to ensure that the residents and the tourists are not negatively impacted by the climate crisis.
Works Cited
Baldauf, Markus, Lorenzo Garlappi, and Constantine Yannelis. “Does Climate Change Affect Real Estate Prices? Only If You Believe in It.” The Review of Financial Studies, vol. 33, no. 3, 2020, pp. 1256-1295.
de Beurs, Kirsten M., et al. “Hurricane Damage Detection On Four Major Caribbean Islands.” Remote Sensing of Environment, vol. 229, 2019, pp. 1-13.
Harrington, Julie, Hongmei Chi, and Lori Pennington Gray. “Florida Tourism.” Florida’s Climate: Changes, Variations, & Impacts, 2017.
Mukherjee, Sayanti, and Roshanak Nateghi. “Climate Sensitivity of End-Use Electricity Consumption in the Built Environment: An Application to the State of Florida, United States.” Energy, vol. 128, 2017, pp. 688-700.
Palm, Risa, and Toby Bolsen. “The Development of Vulnerable Real Estate in South Florida.” Housing Market Response to Sea-Level Rise in Florida. Springer, Cham, 2022, pp. 7-19.
Palm, Risa, and Toby Bolsen. “The Science of Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise.” Climate Change and Sea Level Rise in South Florida. Springer, Cham, 2020, pp. 5-13.