A blueprint for Florida's clean energy future – how canopy ecology and students contributed to shaping state climate change policy

Background/Question/Methods On 13 July 2007, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida signed executive orders to establish greenhouse gas emission targets that required an 80 percent reduction below 1990 levels by the year 2050. Florida and other gulf coast states are very high-risk state with regard to climate change.  Florida alone boasts a 1350-mile-long coastline, location in "hurricane alley," reliance on coral reefs and other vulnerable natural resources for its economy, and the predictions that state population could double in the next 30 years all contribute to this designation of "high-risk".  Ecology education played a key role in the initial conversations with state leadership about climate change. Of note, insect outbreaks in forest canopies provided a biological phenomenon which most citizens can understand; and changes to coastal ecosystems (mangroves, wetlands, and beaches) with sea level rise were also described to the Florida cabinet in initial conversations about the significance of climate change.  As a consequence of understanding these potential economic and ecological impacts of climate change to Florida, a series of Action Teams were created to plan for adaptation to impending environmental changes. As the 26^th largest emitter of carbon dioxide on a global scale, Florida needs to act aggressively to create a clean energy footprint as part of its statewide initiatives but with global impacts. Clear science communication, in particular with examples of local ecosystems, provided an important tool for education outreach to citizens as well as to policy-makers.

Results/Conclusions In Florida, we took these climate change conversations one step further, and integrated them into our undergraduate curricula. All students were instructed in several elements of public science communication: how to create an elevator speech (to address policy-makers in short conversations); how to write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper; and how to create effective  powerpoint presentations to educate the public about climate change. Students at New College also initiated several programs that dovetailed with state government objectives: climate change education for middle schools; energy audits for local businesses; and hands-on work with invasive reptiles.  Undergraduates have an enormous opportunity to work on regional and state government environmental issues, with the ultimate outcome of increasing ecological literacy to diverse audiences.