Join the Florida Climate Institute (FCI) to help lay the groundwork for ‘Getting to Neutral’ in the State of Florida!
Deadline to apply is May 17th
We are soliciting applications for 6-8 internship positions to work under the mentorship of faculty and other experts for periods of 3-6 months this Summer and Fall to start immediately (20 hours per week; pay commensurate with experience). The FCI seeks student interns to assist with data collection and tracking for the greenhouse gas inventory and support work to evaluate potential net-zero strategies as part of a net-zero action planning effort for the State.
Responsibilities
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Work with project workgroup leads and workgroup members to complete a greenhouse gas inventory based on specific sector
- Collect data from different departments and power utility for inventory
- Create a report demonstrating key findings.
- Determine most valuable metrics for tracking state sustainability for potential integration into strategic plan.
- Recommend goals and initiatives to reduce statewide carbon emissions and achieve net-zero by 2050.
- Draft written materials like reports, plans, and recommendations.
- Other tasks as assigned.
Experience and Skills
- Must be pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering, natural sciences, environmental policy, public administration, sustainability, or economics.
- Ability to compare, analyze, and report on data findings and trends.
- Ability to work independently and add value to their work beyond initial assignment.
- Experience with collecting and organizing data from multiple stakeholders a plus.
- Experience with greenhouse gas inventories, renewable energies and other net-zero strategies and assessments a plus.
- Ability to design visually interesting reports and graphics a plus. Samples appreciated.
Please send brief statement of interest and resume to Alyssa Hernandez ( alyherna@fiu.edu) by May 17 for priority consideration. Positions are open until filled. |
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Making Sense of Florida's New Resilience Act
On April 8, 2021, the Florida Legislature passed “An Act Relating to Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience” (SB 1954/HB 7019) (referred to hereafter as the Resilience Act or Act). This and related bills contain a number of positive changes to Florida Statutes that will help Florida better understand the risks and costs to Florida of sea-level rise (SLR). While this and related bills that have passed this session, as described below, indicate a sea change for Florida’s Legislature on SLR, this effort would be stronger with a focus on the causes of SLR and increased flooding.
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On Thursday, May 20, 2021 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST, Libby Carnahan, Climate Change Professional®, UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County & Florida Sea Grant Agent, will join us to discuss “Climate Change: A Look at Impacts to Summer Weather and Hurricane Season”. Hurricane season officially begins June 1st – tune in and find out more about how changing climate affects summer weather in Florida.
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May 26 | Implementation Workshop on Climate Equity | Virtual
To create equitable climate solutions and advance social equity, local governments must understand how existing policies and processes are explicitly and implicitly biased to certain populations. By understanding the implications of climate threats and solutions for all members of the community, and encouraging authentic dialogue with groups made vulnerable to climate change, local governments can create effective policies and practices that equally distribute benefits and burdens, build resilience and trust, and promote additional community-wide co-benefits.
Objectives for this Workshop include:
- Understand vulnerabilities and challenges affecting Southeast Florida’ frontline communities’ exposure and ability to respond to climate impacts
- Build capacity of local governments to integrate social vulnerability data with climate data sets and to embed equity into climate action plans, projects, and institutional goals
- Learn best practices for community engagement
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Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Nearly $150 Million in Awards to Florida Communities for Resilient Infrastructure
On April 16, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that more than $148 million has been awarded to communities through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Program. The program, administered by DEO, allows local governments to develop large-scale infrastructure projects to make communities more resilient to future disasters.
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The webinar featured a panel session to discuss the 2020 hurricane season, impacts to utilities and water management districts, and the challenges associated with disaster and crisis communication in Florida related to climate change. Moderated by Dr. Vasu Misra (FSU) the session featured presentations by Dr. Tirusew Asefa (Tampa Bay Water), Dr. Michael Kozar (Risk Management Solutions), Dr. Angie Lindsey (UF), and Dr. Carolina Maran (South Florida Water Management District). Additional webinar presentations featured two different projects that have the goal of co-producing climate science with stakeholders: Dr. Esther Mullens (University of Florida) presented on a national project to predict rainfall extremes at subseasonal to seasonal periods; and Dr. Tracy Irani (University of Florida) presented on a Florida-specific project to improve seasonal forecasts for use in water utility decision making by integrating NASA earth systems data.
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If you have any climate-related research, news items, or events that you would like to submit for consideration in the next newsletter, please email them to info@floridaclimateinstitute.org
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Other Upcoming Events & Webinars |
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Job, Internship, and Fellowship Opportunities |
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National/International and Partial Remote
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Bellafiore, D., Ferrarin, C., Maicu, F., Manfè, G., Lorenzetti, G., Umgiesser, G., et al. (2021). Saltwater Intrusion in a Mediterranean Delta Under a Changing Climate. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 126(2).
Bregaglio, S., Willocquet, L., Kersebaum, K. C., Ferrise, R., Stella, T., Ferreira, T. B., et al. (2021). Comparing process-based wheat growth models in their simulation of yield losses caused by plant diseases. Field Crops Research, 265.
Breithaupt, J. L., Smoak, J. M., Bianchi, T. S., Vaughn, D., Sanders, C. J., Radabaugh, K. R., et al. (2021). Reply to Comment by R. Parkinson on Increasing Rates of Carbon Burial in Southwest Florida Coastal Wetlands by J. Breithaupt et al. J Geophys Res Biogeosci.
Chang, H., Pallathadka, A., Sauer, J., Grimm, N. B., Zimmerman, R., Cheng, C., et al. (2021). Assessment of urban flood vulnerability using the social-ecological-technological systems framework in six US cities. Sustainable Cities and Society, 68.
Forlini, C., Qayyum, R., Malej, M., Lam, M. A. Y. H., Shi, F., Angelini, C., et al. (2021). On the Problem of Modeling the Boat Wake Climate: The Florida Intracoastal Waterway. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 126(2).
Fovargue, R. E., Rezapour, S., Rosendahl, D., Wootten, A. M., Sabzi, H. Z., Moreno, H. A., et al. (2021). Spatial planning for water sustainability projects under climate uncertainty: balancing human and environmental water needs. Environ. Res. Lett., 16(3).
Jain, P., Wally, J., Townsend, T. G., Krause, M., & Tolaymat, T. (2021). Greenhouse gas reporting data improves understanding of regional climate impact on landfill methane production and collection. PLoS One, 16(2), e0246334.
Lewis, K. A., Rose, K. A., de Mutsert, K., Sable, S., Ainsworth, C., Brady, D. C., et al. (2021). Using Multiple Ecological Models to Inform Environmental Decision-Making. Front. Mar. Sci.
Nicholls, R. J., Hanson, S. E., Lowe, J. A., Slangen, A. B. A., Wahl, T., Hinkel, J., et al. (2021). Integrating new sealevel scenarios into coastal risk and adaptation assessments: An ongoing process. WIREs Clim Change, 12(3).
Sharma, A., Deepa, Sankar, S., Pryor, M., Stewart, B., Johnson, E., et al. (2021). Use of growing degree indicator for developing adaptive responses: A case study of cotton in Florida. Ecological Indicators, 124.
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About Us
The Florida Climate Institute (FCI) is a multi-disciplinary network of national and international research and public organizations, scientists, and individuals concerned with achieving a better understanding of climate variability and change.
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