Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp is a third year journalism and environmental science major and the Fall 2024 Enterprise Environmental Reporter. Outside of the newsroom, you can usually find her haunting local music venues.
Following the completion of the county vulnerability assessment in July, the event offered a first look into the county’s climate action plan. The plan, which has been in development since 2020, is split into three themes: resilience, mitigation and quality of life.
In light of habitat loss and population decline, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may give monarch butterflies a slot under the Endangered Species Act by December. The species, which was once exceedingly more common than some other pollinators, has dwindled in the last two decades.
With a history of outspoken support for expanded gun rights, abortion bans and securing the Southern border, Cammack — a self proclaimed “conservative with grit” — is expected to maintain a similar course during her third congressional term.
As coastal residents flee the threat of storms and rising seas, inland areas like North Central Florida prepare for a possible influx of these environmental refugees, otherwise known as climate migrants.
The short-lived reprieve from Hurricane Helene came to a sudden stop when Milton swept through Alachua County. The hurricane ended hopes for a return to normalcy, forcing students and locals into a second scramble before the approaching storm.
Milton is predicted to make landfall on the west coast of Florida Wednesday evening, the first hurricane to hit Tampa Bay directly in nearly a century. The storm — which has regained its Category 5 distinction after a brief Tuesday morning downgrade — is predicted to be deadly.
Despite the fervent pleas of springs advocates, Tatum said he knew the state still wasn’t listening.
The draft would improve a wide range of city functions under the separate tracks of climate mitigation and adaptation. Its 10 chapters included existing issues of transportation, energy, waste and water in addition to the future threat of extreme heat, food insecurity and limited resources.
The county began negotiations with Jacksonville-based Sunshine Organics & Compost June 11 to lay the groundwork for a local compost program, a pointed effort toward the joint city and county Zero Waste Strategic Plan. While the project could solve the county’s organic waste problem, the company and its co-owner come attached to a checkered past of inspection violations, debt and theft.
Following the Aug. 20 primary, local candidates headed to the November general election campaign with a focus on environmental policy. Meanwhile, the City of Gainesville and Alachua County work to develop climate action initiatives.
City of Gainesville Chief Climate Officer Dan Zhu unveils first draft of city climate action plan Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, to activists and concerned citizens offering community input.
Solutions by The State News
