As a scientist who has spent more than a decade studying the Earth, its systems, and the friction between the human and natural worlds, the environment will be one of my focus areas.
Environmental issues encompass a wide range of issues, from addressing climate change and comprehensive infrastructure funding, to localized problems like protecting timber forests from the Southern pine beetle and emergency planning and response.
Florida's beaches should be envied by the world for their beauty. Protecting those beaches - whether from shoreline erosion, sea level rise or major hurricanes - should be a top priority.
More than just beaches comprise Florida's First, however, and the unique environmental challenges to forestry, land management, and climate change can define economics in the region.
We need environmental policies driven by science, not political posturing or pandering. Long-term sustainability of natural resources could have a monumental impact on the vitality of Florida's ecosystem, both for tourism and for economics.
Original source can be found here.
