'A Jurassic Park Experiment': Watchdog Groups Condemn Decision to Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida
20 August
Health + Wellness
While chemical mosquito population control measures have been used with some degree of success, they are toxic to other insect populations and to the health of humans. A different angle of defense has emerged, which is genetic modification of the mosquito itself, making it transgenic. CDC
By Lisa Newcomb
Food safety and environmental groups Wednesday condemned a decision by officials in Florida to approve the release of 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes, a pilot project aimed at reducing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
<p><br/></p>
<p>"With all the urgent crises facing our nation and the State of Florida—the Covid-19 pandemic, racial injustice, climate change—the administration has used tax dollars and government resources for a Jurassic Park experiment," Jaydee Hanson, policy director for the International Center for Technology Assessment and Center for Food Safety, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/08/19/750-million-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-approved-release-florida-keys" target="_blank">said</a> in a press release Wednesday, following a local mosquito abatement board's approval of the project. </p>
<div id="6f0ea" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0114cc499b274e531924962475ef432e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1296120251105660930" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#GMO mosquito trials have shown traces of mutated insects in natural insects -- yet @FLKeysMosquito just pushed thr… https://t.co/JrBjIwT1cZ</div> — Friends of the Earth (@Friends of the Earth)<a href="https://twitter.com/foe_us/statuses/1296120251105660930">1597854123.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board on Tuesday approved the trial release, slated for 2021, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/01/25/new-study-pokes-hole-gmo-mosquito-plan" target="_blank">following</a> a years-long debate.</p><p>This would be the first U.S. trial of a genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can transmit diseases like Zika and dengue, <em>WUSF Public Media</em> <a href="https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/keys-mosquito-control-board-approves-first-us-trial-genetically-modified-mosquitoes" target="_blank">reported</a> Wednesday. The exact location of the release—in the Florida Keys island chain—has not yet been chosen, according to <em>WUSF</em>.</p><p><a href="https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/keys-mosquito-control-board-approves-first-us-trial-genetically-modified-mosquitoes" target="_blank">According</a> to <em>WUSF</em>, "The genetic modification means only male mosquitoes—which do not bite—survive. The released male mosquitoes breed with wild females, passing along that self-limiting gene."</p>
<p>But watchdog groups warn that the experiment could produce "hybrid wild mosquitoes" potentially more resistant to insecticides and worsen the spread of mosquito-borne disease. These organizations also worry that the abatement board is putting profit margins of Oxitec, the company that produces the genetically modified insects, ahead of public health.</p><p>"The release of genetically engineered mosquitoes will needlessly put Floridians, the environment, and endangered species at risk in the midst of a pandemic," <a href="https://foe.org/news/750-million-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-approved-for-release-in-florida-keys/" target="_blank">said</a> Dana Perls, food and technology program manager at Friends of the Earth. "This approval is about maximizing Oxitec's profits, not about the pressing need to address mosquito-borne diseases."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/19/jurassic-park-experiment-watchdog-groups-denounce-decision-release-genetically?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 150,000 as Country Struggles to Contain Virus
30 July
Health + Wellness
A gravedigger at a Staten Island, New York cemetery where coronavirus victims are buried. Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The U.S. death toll from the new coronavirus passed 150,000 Wednesday, in a grim marker of the country's struggle to control the disease.
<p>The U.S. has now reported more than 4.4 million confirmed cases and 150,713 deaths, according to Thursday morning figures from <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">Johns Hopkins University</a>. That number means the U.S. outbreak is by far the deadliest in absolute numbers. While it only holds about 5 percent of the world's population, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/29/896491060/more-than-150-000-people-have-died-from-coronavirus-in-the-u-s" target="_blank">according to NPR</a>, it has accounted for almost a quarter of the world's 667,218 coronavirus deaths.</p><p>"Basically, none of this should have happened," commercial pilot Rob Koreman of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who has to keep abreast of the numbers because of his work, told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa/u-s-coronavirus-deaths-top-150000-among-highest-in-deaths-per-capita-globally-idUSKCN24U2HX" target="_blank">Reuters</a>. "We needed state coordination, if not flat-out a federal mandate."</p>
<div id="25b52" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4f7ab33bd4d2168a055251210ae33a9c"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1288572281128734728" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Confirmed coronavirus deaths in the US have passed 150,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.… https://t.co/y4M8Xa8UiL</div> — BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeed News)<a href="https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/statuses/1288572281128734728">1596054546.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The U.S. reported its first coronavirus death Feb. 29, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/29/health/us-coronavirus-wednesday/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. It took 54 days for that number to rise to 50,000 on April 23, 34 days for it to climb to 100,000 May 27 and another 63 days to reach 150,000. Around 33,000 of the nation's deaths were in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/new-york" target="_self">New York</a> and almost 16,000 were in New Jersey, NPR reported. Those states were early epicenters of the outbreak, and the nation's daily death toll is still well below the highs of April and early May.</p><p>However, the national death toll has begun to climb following a surge of cases in the South and West. The daily average of deaths for the week ending Tuesday rose above 1,000 for the first time since June 2, CNN reported. In 29 states, the average number of deaths per day was at least 10 percent higher compared to the previous week, and some states are reporting their highest daily death tolls to date. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/california" target="_self">California</a> broke its record for most deaths reported in a single day with 197 on Wednesday, while <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/florida" target="_self">Florida</a> broke its record two days in a row, with 186 deaths on Tuesday and 216 on Wednesday, according to NPR.</p>
<div id="eed95" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fbb1747ccadca911e3ebf0237b87099e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1288571796594147328" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The U.S. has now surpassed 150,000 coronavirus deaths.
The daily death total continues to climb and is now more t… https://t.co/Se9wDWLeMD</div> — Mike Baker (@Mike Baker)<a href="https://twitter.com/ByMikeBaker/statuses/1288571796594147328">1596054431.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>While the number of new cases is now beginning to fall slightly, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> experts expect deaths to continue to rise since mortality tends to lag behind infections, according to CNN.</p><p>"We have to do better in terms of limiting transmission," T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard chair of immunology and infectious diseases Dr. Sarah Fortune told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/us/coronavirus-deaths-150000.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. "We have this terrible death toll because we have done a lousy job at limiting transmission."</p><p>The death toll has risen much higher than initial predictions, The New York Times pointed out.</p><p>In April, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said he hoped the toll would not rise above 60,000 and a respected research center predicted a little more than 70,000 deaths by early August.</p><p>"The aspect which is really impossible to predict is human behavior," Yale epidemiology professor Virginia Pitzer told The New York Times of the models. "To what extent are people going to socially distance themselves? To what extent are politics going to influence whether you wear a mask? All of these factors are impossible to factor in."</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coronavirus-death-projection-us-document-2645922038.html" target="_self">early May</a>, the University of Washington's <a href="http://www.healthdata.org/" target="_blank">Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation</a> (IHME) model raised its projected death toll from around 60,000 to more than 134,000 by early August due to increased movement and the easing of social distancing measures. It now predicts around 220,000 deaths by November.</p><p>"I think the fact that we as a country have not been able to get our arms around this, have not prioritized preventing those deaths is all that much more maddening. And so, for me it's frustration, it's sadness. And a resolve to try to figure out how we prevent the next 150,000," Harvard Global Health Institute Director Dr. Ashish Jha, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I think we can, but we're really going to have to work for it."</p><p>Researchers at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security issued a <a href="https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/publications/resetting-our-response-changes-needed-in-the-us-approach-to-covid-19" target="_blank">report Wednesday</a> calling for a "reset" of the U.S. federal, state and local response to the pandemic in order to do just that.</p>
<p>Its recommendations included requiring masks across the board, increasing testing and reinstating stay-at-home orders for places where cases and hospitalizations are surging, according to CNN.</p><p>"Unlike many countries in the world, the United States is not currently on course to get control of this epidemic," the report authors wrote. "It is time to reset."</p>
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The Florida National Guard collects specimens for coronavirus testing at a nursing home on May 1, 2020. Sgt. Michael Baltz / Florida National Guard
Florida has now confirmed more coronavirus cases than New York, the early epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, in another sign that the U.S. as a whole is struggling to control the deadly disease.
<p>Florida became the second state after California to overtake New York's case count Sunday. It had 423,855 total cases to New York's 411,736, according to Sunday afternoon figures from Johns Hopkins University <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/26/895596931/florida-case-count-surpasses-that-of-new-york-the-countrys-original-epicenter" target="_blank">reported by NPR</a>. California, the U.S.'s most populous state, remained in the lead with 450,242 cases, while Texas was in fourth place with 391,000, according to a <a href="https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKCN24R0IH" target="_blank">Reuters tally</a>.</p><p>"What we have right now are essentially three New Yorks," White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said of Florida, Texas and California on Friday, as the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e7a2d746-35f9-4669-a56b-d8e256889343" target="_blank">Financial Times reported</a>. "That's why you hear us calling for masks and increased social distancing, to really stop the spread of this epidemic."</p>
<div id="d7a78" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b85676cae18d963e7a34c5ee8d75a0fa"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287434140573405191" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: Florida has passed New York for 2nd in total COVID-19 cases. The top 5 states by total cases:
1) Califor… https://t.co/szC6VLGFFt</div> — Florida Coronavirus Tracker (@Florida Coronavirus Tracker)<a href="https://twitter.com/FloridaCovid/statuses/1287434140573405191">1595783193.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>New York continues to hold the lead for coronavirus fatalities with more than 32,000, according to Reuters. Florida has the eighth most with nearly 6,000.</p><p>However, deaths are rising in Florida and across the nation. California, Texas and Florida all reported record increases in deaths this week, according to the Financial Times. Florida reported 970 deaths and 3,452 hospitalizations for the week ending Sunday, up from 758 deaths and 3,021 hospitalizations the week before, the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/07/26/florida-reports-9344-coronavirus-infections-sunday-78-deaths/" target="_blank">Tampa Bay Times reported</a>. COVID-19 is by far the deadliest infectious disease in the state this year. It is currently killing three times as many people as AIDS, viral hepatitis, the flu and pneumonia combined.</p><p>Nationwide, the death toll rose by more than 1,000 for a fifth day in a row Saturday, the Financial Times reported. Deaths averaged 876 a day for the week ending Saturday, the highest daily average since early June.</p>
<p>The mortality increase follows a surge in cases that brought the U.S. total to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/us-coronavirus-cases-2646792890.html" target="_self">over four million</a> last week.</p><p>However, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state health officials thought new infections were beginning to plateau in the state, according to the Tampa Bay Times.</p><p>Birx also told NBC news there was evidence of plateauing in Florida, Texas, California and Arizona, another hard-hit state, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-deaths-us-covid-trump-cdc-guidelines-states-reopening-a9638066.html" target="_blank">The Independent reported</a>.</p><p>It is hard to tell which state really leads in cases since the pandemic began, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/world/coronavirus-live-updates.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwAR1-zmI6vuqH6_4xhLXVU414qXV-L6RDeOa3tibhDhucRJljqRbSRdnIwrs#link-7666357" target="_blank">The New York Times pointed out</a>. That's because New York and California both experienced outbreaks early, when testing was still limited. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coronavirus-infections-reported-cases-antibodies-2646449259.html" target="_self">published this month</a> calculated that the number of coronavirus infections could be two to 13 times higher than the official case count.</p>
<p>While they are neck and neck for confirmed cases, New York and Florida represent very different approaches to controlling the pandemic, according to NPR.</p><p>New York decreased infections and deaths by late spring, just as infections began to rise in Western and Southern states.</p><p>New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo lifted lockdown measures gradually and has required masks in public since April. Florida's DeSantis, meanwhile, has declined to mandate masks or impose new restrictions since most businesses were allowed to reopen in May.</p>
<p><em>Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said state health experts thought cases were beginning to plateau in the state. The story has been updated to note that both DeSantis and state health officials said this.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Green Banana will be explored using the same techniques developed for the Amberjack Hole, seen here from a diver's view in 2019. Mote Marine Laboratory
Scientists are rushing to Florida's Gulf Coast to explore a mysterious blue hole located 425 feet deep on the ocean floor.
<p>The mysterious hole, called the Green Banana by scientists, is 155 feet below the surface of the water and is similar to a sink hole on land, according to scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/scientists-investigate-blue-oceanic-mystery-off-florida-coast/story?id=71919756" target="_blank">ABC News</a> reported.</p><p><a href="https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/20blue-holes/welcome.html" target="_blank">In a statement</a>, NOAA explained why blue holes are both perplexing and important:</p><p>"Little is known about blue holes due to their lack of accessibility and unknown distribution and abundance. The opening of a blue hole can be several hundred feet underwater, and for many holes, the opening is too small for an automated submersible. In fact, the first reports of blue holes did not come from scientists or researchers, but actually came from fishermen and recreational divers."</p>
<p>This sinkhole, which extends nearly 300 feet, is giving researchers from NOAA a chance to explore what purpose these holes serve and what effect they have on the ecosystem, according to <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a33382170/green-banana-blue-hole-sink-hole/" target="_blank">Popular Mechanics</a>.</p><p>NOAA said that there are many underwater sinkholes, springs and caverns scattered across Florida's Gulf continental shelf, but they have no idea how many there are or where to find them, as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-hole-florida-coast-search-signs-of-life/" target="_blank">CBS News</a> reported. Every hole differs in size, shape and depth, and scientists believe that most host a diverse range of plants and animals.</p><p>The year-long expedition of Green Banana will start in August, NOAA said. The team will include scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida Atlantic University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Geological Society, as <a href="https://phys.org/news/2020-07-mysterious-foot-blue-hole-florida.html" target="_blank">Phys.org</a> reported.</p>
<p>According to researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory, the holes likely formed roughly 8,000 to 12,000 years ago, when the Florida coastline was about 100 miles further offshore from where it is now due to lower sea levels, as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-hole-florida-coast-search-signs-of-life/" target="_blank">CBS News</a> reported. While there is no clear discovery date, local fishermen and divers have wondered about the mysterious holes for decades.</p><p>"It was more like word of mouth ... these divers would go out and try to find it, and they had plenty of days where they didn't find anything and other days where, 'Eureka! There's a hole!'" researcher Emily Hall, a staff scientist and program manager at Mote Marine Laboratory, told CBS News.</p>
<p>The holes appear to host diverse biological communities full of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life" target="_self">marine life</a>, including corals, sponges, mollusks, sea turtles and sharks. They also discovered two dead but intact smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species, at the bottom of the hole, according to NOAA. So far, NOAA scientists have collected 17 water samples from the area surrounding the hole along with four sediment samples, according to ABC News.</p><p>The researchers are hoping to see if the blue hole is secreting nutrients or harbors microenvironments or new species of microbes. They will also examine whether or not the blue holes are related to Florida's groundwater, or if the two affect each other in any way, and how the blue holes affect the global carbon cycle, according to CBS News.</p><p>Planning for the August expedition is remarkably complicated. Green Banana is 20 percent deeper than previously explored blue holes. "The configuration of the hole is somewhat hourglass shaped, creating new challenges for the lander deployment and water sampling," NOAA said, as Popular Mechanics reported.</p>
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People visit Jacksonville Beach on July 4, 2020 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Public health experts have attributed Florida's growing coronavirus caseload to people gathering in crowds. Sam Greenwood / Getty Images
Florida broke the national record for the most new coronavirus cases reported in a single day on Sunday, with a total of 15,299.
<p>Florida's Sunday caseload was more than any European country reported during the height of the outbreak there, <a href="https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKCN24D0I3" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>"If Florida were a country, it would rank fourth in the world for the most new cases in a day behind the United States, Brazil and India," Reuters wrote.</p>
<div id="95919" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6609e6cc487787d5a8cd3e218c318409"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1282344989419278336" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">MAY 20: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) brags coronavirus outbreak “hasn’t happened.”
JULY 12: Florida… https://t.co/PPHEMo2twh</div> — Keith Boykin (@Keith Boykin)<a href="https://twitter.com/keithboykin/statuses/1282344989419278336">1594569844.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>It also reported more new cases than did New York when it was the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. Sources are divided on the previous U.S. record. <a href="https://apnews.com/798f9aab3bb2e5fbf733413a99476d7c" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a> that California held the previous record with 11,694 new cases on Wednesday, while before the record went to New York with 11,571 on April 15. Reuters, meanwhile, gave the previous record to New York with 12,847 new cases on April 10; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/12/us/florida-coronavirus-covid-cases.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> also reported it was held by New York, but with 12,274 new cases April 4. But in any case, the record is an alarming milestone for the Sunshine State with real consequences for its hospitals.</p><p>"It has just been horrifically busy," University of South Florida infectious disease professor John Toney told The New York Times. "It's reminiscent of what everyone dealt with in New York. It's certainly putting a strain on a lot of the systems, even though hospitals are trying to accommodate."</p>
<p>Florida's record comes amidst a surge in cases nationwide and globally. Almost 40 states are seeing cases increase, and the U.S. broke world records by reporting around 60,000 new cases a day for the last four days, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reported a record of more than 230,000 new cases total Sunday, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/12/world/coronavirus-updates.html" target="_blank">New York Times update</a>. The previous global record was set Friday, with more than 228,000 new cases.</p><p>Public health experts have attributed Florida's growing caseload to people gathering in crowds and moving around once the state began reopening.</p><p>"Bottom line is, more people are mobile and they're not necessarily taking the precautions we think would help," Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, told The New York Times.</p>
<p>University of Florida epidemiologist Dr. Cindy Prins also attributed the spread to people gathering in crowds, gyms and some restaurants, as well as reports of illegal raves and clubs in South Florida.</p><p>"I really do think we could control this, and it's the human element that is so critical. It should be an effort of our country. We should be pulling together when we're in a crisis, and we're definitely not doing it," she told The Associated Press. "I know people want to live their lives. There have been a lot of other times, people have made those sacrifices in order to benefit our society. It's almost like a war effort. That's what we need right now."</p><p>Instead, the state is largely persisting with reopening efforts, which began in early May, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/12/890216415/florida-smashes-u-s-state-record-of-daily-new-cases-more-than-15-200?utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social" target="_blank">according to NPR</a>. Two of Disney World's parks reopened Saturday, and the other two are scheduled to reopen Wednesday. Schools have also been ordered to reopen for in-person classes in August.</p><p>"We know there are huge, huge costs for not providing the availability of in-person schooling," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said, according to The Associated Press. "The risk of corona, fortunately, for students is incredibly low."</p>
<p>The outbreak in Florida is in some ways easier to manage than the outbreak in New York in April, The New York Times pointed out. Some of the increase in caseload is down to increased testing, and hospitals are better supplied and prepared to treat the disease. The state's death rate is also well below New York's at the outbreak's peak there.</p><p>However, daily death totals began rising in the state last week, The Associated Press reported. Health experts predicted this would be the case, since death rates tend to lag behind infection rates by two to four weeks. Florida reported 514 fatalities for this week, an average of 73 per day. It averaged 30 per day three weeks ago.</p><p>The U.S. as a whole reported a seven-day death average of 700 Saturday, up from 471 July 5, but still below the more than 2,200 daily deaths it averaged in mid-April, according to The New York Times.</p><p>Overall, the new coronavirus has sickened 269,811 people in Florida and killed 4,242, the state health department reported.</p>
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Naegleria fowleri (commonly referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba") is a free-living microscopic amoeba (single-celled living organism). Centers for Disease Control
As if the surging cases of coronavirus weren't enough for Floridians to handle, now the state's Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed that a person in the Tampa area tested positive for a rare brain-eating amoeba, according to CBS News. The Florida DOH posted a warning to residents to remind them of the dangers of the rare single-celled amoeba that attacks brain tissue.
<p>The amoeba is known, scientifically, as <em>Naegleria fowleri</em>. Only four people have survived <em>Naegleria fowleri</em> in the U.S. between 1962 and 2016, out of 143 who contracted the disease, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/florida-brain-eating-amoeba-warning-naegleria-fowleri-a9603026.html" target="_blank">The Independent</a> reported. There have been only 37 cases reported in Florida since 1962, which makes up nearly 26 percent of all instances in the U.S.</p><p><em>Naegleria fowleri</em> is typically found in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers and ponds. The Florida DOH has cautioned people who swim in those freshwater sources to be aware of the amoeba's possible presence, particularly when the water is warm, according to CNN.</p><p>The DOH did not disclose where in Hillsborough County the patient had contracted the amoeba, nor the patient's condition, according to The Independent.</p>
<p>The amoeba's deadly effects happen when it causes a rare infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which destroys brain tissue and is usually fatal, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/brain-eating-amoeba-infection-florida-rare-hillsborough-county-health" target="_blank">Fox News</a>.</p><p>"Infections can happen when contaminated water enters the body through the nose," the DOH said in its letter.</p><p>After the amoeba enters the nose through contaminated water, it then travels to the brain where it causes PAM, according to health officials.</p>
<p>"Infections usually occur when temperatures increase for prolonged periods of time, which results in higher water temperatures and lower water levels," health officials stated in their letter.</p><p>Health officials recommend using a nose plug, pinching your nose or keeping your head above water to avoid the amoeba. They also recommend avoiding water where conditions are ripe for the amoeba to thrive, such as warm freshwater around power plants and shallow fresh water during periods of high water temperature.</p><p>"Adverse health effects on humans can be prevented by avoiding nasal contact with the waters, since the amoeba enters through nasal passages," the DOH said, as CNN reported.</p>
<p>As CNN pointed out, the ancient tradition of treating congested sinuses with a neti pot can also increase the risk of infection.</p><p>"Use only boiled and cooled, distilled, or sterile water for making sinus rinse solutions for neti pots or performing ritual ablutions," the DOH said.</p><p>It is also possible to contract the amoeba in swimming pools that are not properly chlorinated. Since it's only contracted through the nose, there is no chance of developing PAM from drinking it, according to CBS News.</p><p>As CBS News noted, the typical symptoms of a <em>Naegleria fowleri</em> infection include severe frontal headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. Later symptoms include stiff neck, seizures, altered mental status, hallucinations and coma.</p>
<p>Signs of infection typically start a few days after swimming or other nasal exposure to contaminated water. People usually die within 1 to 18 days after symptoms begin.</p><p>"It is essential to seek medical attention right away, as the disease progresses rapidly after the start of symptoms," the health department said.</p><p>The DOH added that "this disease is rare and effective prevention strategies can allow for a safe and relaxing summer swim season," as The Independent reported.</p>
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Florida Gov. DeSantis Prohibits Cities From Banning Sunscreens, Even Ones That Harm Coral
03 July
Politics
Sunscreen pollution is accelerating the demise of coral reefs globally by causing permanent DNA damage to coral. gonzalo martinez / iStock / Getty Images Plus
On July 29, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a controversial bill prohibiting local governments from banning certain types of sunscreens.
<p><a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/172" target="_blank">SB 172</a> responds to and reverses the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/sunscreens-oxybenzone-ban-2628295489.html" target="_self">City of Key West's 2019 ban on the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate</a> to protect its <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coral-reefs" target="_self">coral reef</a>. The ban was set to take effect Jan. 1, 2021, but the new law strikes down that ban and prohibits similar ones.</p><p>According to the <a href="https://www.coris.noaa.gov/portals/florida.html" target="_blank">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)</a>, Key West sits on Florida's Reef Tract, the only barrier reef in the continental U.S. </p><p>Florida's multi-billion coastal economy "is highly tied to the coral reefs and dependent on their health," the <a href="https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/floridas-dying-reefs-could-kill-the-florida-keys-economy" target="_blank">Environmental and Energy Study Institute</a> found.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/reef-friendly-sunscreens-2634686426.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">Sunscreen pollution is accelerating the demise of coral reefs</a> globally by causing permanent DNA damage to coral, according to experts, reported <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/sunscreens-oxybenzone-ban-2628295489.html" target="_self">ABC News</a>.</p><p>"(Coral reefs) provide billions of dollars in economic and environmental services, such as food, coastal protection, and tourism," said a <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html#:~:text=In%20a%202016%20study%2C%20a,against%20the%20sun's%20harmful%20effects." target="_blank">NOAA infographic article</a> about the harms of sunscreens. The infographic focuses on how sunscreen chemicals enter the ocean environment, the harm they cause to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life">marine life</a> including corals, fish, algae, etc. and alternative, reef-safe ways to stay protected from the sun.</p><p>Common <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chemicals">chemicals</a> in sunscreens and cosmetics are "highly toxic" to marine life and "even very low concentrations" of oxybenzone and octinoxate accumulate in coral tissue, inducing bleaching, damaging coral DNA and deforming and killing young coral larvae, according to NOAA.</p>
<p>This harm to the next generation of reefs threatens the survival of corals generally <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coral-reefs-climate-crisis-predictions-2645201373.html" target="_self">at a time when reefs are already heavily imperiled</a>. <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html#:~:text=In%20a%202016%20study%2C%20a,against%20the%20sun's%20harmful%20effects." target="_blank">NOAA </a>called nontoxic sunscreen alternatives "critical" to protect reefs against "exacerbating effects posted by climate change and bleaching."</p><p>Oxybenzone and octinoxate also <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/sunscreen-chemicals-bloodstream-2636509218.html" target="_self">disrupt the human endocrine system</a>.<br></p><p>Even while the new Florida bill was moving towards DeSantis' desk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed most chemical sunscreens from its list of "safe and effective" products pending health studies, instead designating mineral-based sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as "safe and effective, reported <a href="https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2020/06/30/desantis-signs-bill-prohibiting-florida-cities-from-banning-any-sunscreens-even-those-that-threaten-corals/" target="_blank">Florida Phoenix</a>.</p><p>Proponents of the bill, including many business interests, claim sunscreen is necessary to protect the residents and visitors to the sunshine state from skin cancer.</p>
<p>Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley spearheaded the bill, disputing the science claiming that sunscreens harm reefs. He argued that protecting tourists and residents from cancer trumps protecting coral reefs, reported Florida Phoenix and <a href="https://miami.cbslocal.com/2020/06/30/sunscreen-ban-in-florida/" target="_blank">CBS Miami</a>.</p><p>Those criticizing the bill call it the latest attack on local government home-rule authority as well as on coral reefs, reported <a href="https://www.startribune.com/florida-gov-chooses-side-in-sunscreen-debate-slather-away/571569782/?refresh=true" target="_blank">Star Tribune</a>.</p><p>Some have called the bill a "gross overreaction" to Key West's "measured and reasonable limitation" meant to protect their lucrative, important natural resource, reported <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-ne-nsf-desantis-signs-sunscreen-ban-into-law-20200630-vjbksvzx5zh23kevo4d2nibvg4-story.html" target="_blank">Sun-Sentinel</a>.</p><p>"When it comes to protecting Florida's coral reefs, the Governor is standing with corporate interests, despite millions of taxpayer dollars spent on reef preservation and restoration," environmental groups said Tuesday in a joint press release, reported <a href="https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2020/06/30/desantis-signs-bill-prohibiting-florida-cities-from-banning-any-sunscreens-even-those-that-threaten-corals/" target="_blank">Florida Phoenix</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html#:~:text=In%20a%202016%20study%2C%20a,against%20the%20sun's%20harmful%20effects." target="_blank">NOAA</a> said that "although pollution is a major cause of coral reef degradation," it is also "the easiest factor to mitigate" because manufacturers and consumers can choose to create and purchase less harmful products. The only issue, NOAA found, was that regulation of the toxic chemicals in sunscreens "has largely been ignored."</p><p>DeSantis did not issue statements as his office Monday night released the new bill, reported <a href="https://miami.cbslocal.com/2020/06/30/sunscreen-ban-in-florida/" target="_blank">CBS Miami</a>.</p>
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Scientist Behind Florida’s Coronavirus Database Says She Was Fired for Refusing to Censor Data
21 May
Science
A photo illustration of Florida's widely praised COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard. Paul Hennessy / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images
The scientist behind Florida's widely praised coronavirus dashboard was fired Monday because she refused to "manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen," she told CBS12 News Monday.
<p>Dr. Rebekah Jones' dismissal came the same day as much of Florida reopened for business, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/20/florida-scientist-dr-rebekah-jones-fired-refusing-change-covid-19-data-reopen-plan" target="_blank">The Guardian pointed out</a>, raising concerns about the data backing that decision.</p><p>"These allegations are disturbing," Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit which includes Palm Beach County, tweeted Tuesday. "Manipulating the data on Florida's COVID-19 dashboard could cost lives."</p>
<div id="c36d7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="27f886211b553f207e73c83329395b1b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1262775331464847360" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">These allegations are disturbing. Manipulating the data on Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard could cost lives.
“Jones… https://t.co/5WFwJtV9Nk</div> — Dave Aronberg (@Dave Aronberg)<a href="https://twitter.com/aronberg/statuses/1262775331464847360">1589904074.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Until May 5, Jones had been in charge of a team of data scientists and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> officials at the Florida department of Health who created and managed the publicly accessible database that reported COVID-19 cases, testing and deaths, <a href="https://eu.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/18/censorship-covid-19-data-researcher-removed-florida-moves-re-open-state/5212398002/" target="_blank">FLORIDA TODAY explained</a>. The dashboard won wide praise, including from high-ranking White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Deborah Birx.</p><p>The first sign of trouble came over the last few weeks as the site had "crashed" and data had gone missing.</p><p>Then, Jones wrote an email Friday to members of the public and the media who had signed up for updates on the database, saying she and her office had been removed from control of the database as of May 5.</p>
<p>"I understand, appreciate, and even share your concern about all the dramatic changes that have occurred and those that are yet to come," she wrote. "As a word of caution, I would not expect the new team to continue the same level of accessibility and transparency that I made central to the process during the first two months. After all, my commitment to both is largely (arguably entirely) the reason I am no longer managing it."</p>
<p>Then came the news that she had been fired from the Department of Health altogether, as she confirmed to <a href="https://eu.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/19/florida-scientist-refused-manipulate-covid-19-data-and-fired/5219137002/" target="_blank">FLORIDA TODAY</a> Wednesday. According to the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/05/19/florida-health-department-officials-told-manager-to-delete-coronavirus-data-before-reassigning-her-emails-show/" target="_blank">Tampa Bay Times</a>, she had been ordered May 5 to remove data showing when people showed symptoms or tested positively for the virus before a case had been announced after the information was requested by the media. She complied, but said it was the "wrong call." She was later given the option to resign with a settlement or be fired.</p><p>The spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Helen Aguirre Ferré, defended her firing in a statement to the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article242851256.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald Tuesday</a>.</p><p>"Rebekah Jones exhibited a repeated course of insubordination during her time with the department, including her unilateral decisions to modify the department's COVID-19 dashboard without input or approval from the epidemiological team or her supervisors," Ferré said.</p>
<p>DeSantis later challenged the idea that Jones was the architect of the dashboard.</p><p>"She is not the chief architect of our Web portal. That is another false statement, and what she was doing was she was putting data on the portal, which the scientists didn't believe was valid data," he said in Orlando Wednesday, as <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/20/859741245/florida-governor-defends-firing-of-top-data-scientist?t=1590047160809" target="_blank">NPR reported</a>.</p><p>This contradicts Jones' account in an email to <a href="https://eu.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/19/florida-scientist-refused-manipulate-covid-19-data-and-fired/5219137002/" target="_blank">FLORIDA TODAY,</a> in which she said she created two applications in two languages, four dashboards and six maps.</p><p>"I worked on it alone, sixteen hours a day for two months, most of which I was never paid for, and now that this has happened I'll probably never get paid for [it]," she wrote.</p>
<p>Her firing has raised alarms for scientists and Democratic politicians.</p><p>"When politicians censor scientists and manipulate the numbers, the rest of us suffer," Columbia University biologist Dr. Lucky Tran tweeted in response. "The only way we get out of this pandemic is with facts, and acting upon the best science we have."</p>
<div id="b68f9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0054b562ca8900640005ad60bb227a35"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1262737221553205248" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Scientists are getting fired for refusing to censor data and manipulate numbers.
If you want to put more lives at… https://t.co/wC1caAnZmE</div> — Dr. Lucky Tran (@Dr. Lucky Tran)<a href="https://twitter.com/luckytran/statuses/1262737221553205248">1589894988.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who represents the Tampa area, demanded answers from DeSantis, while state Senator José Javier Rodríguez from Miami and chair of the Florida Democratic party Terrie Rizzo called for an investigation, according to NPR and The Guardian.</p><p>"Floridians must have confidence that critical public health information produced and published on behalf of the state is accurate, complete and reliable. It is especially important during this period of economic reopening that decision-makers in the private and public sector — whether they be leaders of institutions, employers or parents — have access to accurate information as they make decisions impacting the lives and livelihoods of our families and communities," Rodriguez said, as NPR reported.</p>
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Cocoa Beach saw a huge spike in trash as cleanup crews collected more than 13,000 pounds strewn across the sand over the weekend. Jeffrey Greenberg / Universal Images Group via Getty Images
When beaches in Florida reopened last week, people flocked to them to absorb the sun, sand and water. Unfortunately, many forgot to take their trash with them when they left.
<p>While pollution and emissions have precipitously dropped worldwide, Cocoa Beach saw a huge spike in garbage as cleanup crews collected more than 13,000 pounds strewn across the sand over the weekend, as <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/497183-more-than-13000-pounds-of-trash-collected-at-florida-beach-just" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reported.</p><p>The beaches, which reopened on April 21, will remain open, but authorities will start to crack down on litter by increasing the fines and enforcement, according to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/05/09/coronavirus-reopenings-cocoa-beach-florida-cracks-down-litter/3104430001/" target="_blank">Florida Today</a>. Littering will now come with a $250 fine.</p>
<p>"As restrictions are becoming more relaxed during this pandemic, the City of Cocoa Beach is beginning to see an influx of day-trippers to our beaches, along with piles of unlawfully discarded trash in their wake," Cocoa Beach Police Department wrote in a notice, according to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/05/09/coronavirus-reopenings-cocoa-beach-florida-cracks-down-litter/3104430001/" target="_blank">Florida Today</a>. "This will not be tolerated."</p><p>In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CocoaBeachPoliceFire/photos/a.135655014526966/228991078526692/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Facebook post</a>, the Cocoa Beach Police Department stated that they will be "focusing on litter violations in the days and weeks ahead in an effort to educate the public and mitigate this repulsive and disrespectful behavior."</p>
<p>This weekend's litter collection surpassed the previous weekend's total of roughly 12,000 pounds. Two weekends ago, cleanup crews collected 297 bags of trash, which weigh roughly 40 pounds per bag. Bryan Bobbitt, executive director of Keep Brevard Beautiful, told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-beach-litter-pandemic-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> that the true number would be higher since they did not collect many larger items like tent poles and beach chairs that were left behind.</p><p>This weekend's total was 305 bags of trash, according to Bobbitt. Volunteers and observers have noticed that the discarded items are often single-use <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics">plastics</a>.</p>
<p>"People will come from out of town and leave an umbrella, a tent or chairs because it's a onetime use," said Bobbitt to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-beach-litter-pandemic-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. "Chip bags, plastic straw wrappers and anything can get blown into the dunes."</p><p>Cocoa Beach Police Chief Scott Rosenfeld said in a statement that the local community works "very hard to be stewards of environmental sustainability," as <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/497183-more-than-13000-pounds-of-trash-collected-at-florida-beach-just" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reported.</p><p>"If I need to relocate critical resources during our peak season to combat litterers, we are no longer asking our visitors to comply with our litter laws, we expect it, and there will be consequences for offenders," he added.</p>
<p>The litter poses a threat to Florida's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life">marine life</a> and to the beach environment. Keep Brevard Beautiful says the goal of their cleanup efforts is to keep the environment safe for humans and for animals.</p><p>"When we see something that can be a choking hazard to marine life, we make it a point to get that stuff as well," Bobbitt said to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-beach-litter-pandemic-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. "If we don't pick it up, it gets blown into the water. We've all seen the photo of the straw stuck in a sea turtle's nose or a 6-pack ring around a bird's neck."</p>This past weekend, the police only issued one citation for littering. Noting some of the challenges in issuing a litter violation, Cocoa Beach Detective Sgt. Thomas Cooper told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-beach-litter-pandemic-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>, "You have to say they're the person who legally left that trash. The officers are stuck."
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A rainbow snake, a rare reptile spotted in a Florida county for the first time in more than 50 years, seen here on July 5, 2013. Kevin Enge / FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute / Flickr
A Florida hiker recently stumbled across a slithering surprise — a rare snake that hadn't been spotted in the area for more than 50 years.
<p>Tracey Cauthen discovered the rainbow snake (<em>Farancia erytrogramma</em>) while hiking in the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/ocala" target="_blank">Ocala National Forest</a>, north of Orlando, the <a href="https://myfwc.com/research/" target="_blank">Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Wildlife Research Institute</a> announced in a Feb. 19 Facebook post.</p><p>"A Rare Sighting!" the institute enthused.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c288ed114240779080c52c645f9d44dc"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/FWCResearch/posts/3496704450345596?__tn__=-R"></div></div>
<p>The <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/" target="_blank">Florida Museum of Natural History</a> confirmed that Cauthen's was the first sighting of the elusive <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/reptiles" target="_self">reptile</a> in Florida's Marion County since 1969.</p><p>Rainbow snakes are "seldom seen, even by herpetologists, due to their cryptic habits," the Wildlife Research Institute explained.</p><p>Because rainbow snakes are aquatic, they spend most of their time hidden in vegetation on the water's edge. They also burrow near creeks, lakes, marshes and other wetlands.</p>
<p>Despite their underground habits, they earn their brilliant name. The Florida Museum of Natural History <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/herpetology/fl-snakes/list/farancia-erytrogramma/?fbclid=IwAR0cazYdbkldbhK0Q-pe-_WNnWbwC2ZVn2c1IvbZrXWvEKexd1BsHHNABgg" target="_blank">offers a full description</a>:</p><blockquote>Adults are large and thick bodied. The back is iridescent blue-black with a bright red stripe down the middle and an additional reddish-pink stripe on each side. The lower sides of the body are yellow or pink fading into the red belly. Black spots on each belly scale form three lines of dots down the belly. The chin and throat are yellow.</blockquote><p>Biologists with the Wildlife Research Institute thought that this rainbow snake was seen in the forest because the recent lowering of water levels at the Rodman Reservoir had encouraged it to move. The snakes are also sometimes discovered under riverbank flotsam like Spanish moss or logs, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. They have also been plowed up in fields or seen crossing the road at night, especially after it rains.</p>
<p>The snakes live throughout the Florida Panhandle, as well as on the northern peninsula and in the north-central part of the state. Another population has been reported around Tampa Bay. The species also lives along the Atlantic Coast Plain between eastern Louisiana and southern Maryland.</p><p>The snakes are entirely non-threatening to humans.</p><p>"If captured, it may press its pointed tail tip into one's hand," the museum wrote. "The tail is totally harmless and cannot sting or even break the skin."</p><p>The snakes mostly eat eels, hence their nickname "eel moccasin." They grow to be 3.3 to 4.5 feet. The snake Cauthen discovered was around four feet.</p>While they are rarely seen by humans, they are not endangered. They are a species of "least concern" according to the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/63780/12707838" target="_blank">International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List</a>, and their population is stable.
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A home is surrounded by floodwater on Sept. 30, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
By Risa Palm and Toby W. Bolsen
Advertisers understand that providing consumers with the facts will not sell products. To get people to stop and pay attention, successful advertising delivers information simply and with an emotional hook so that consumers notice and, hopefully, make a purchase.
<p>Climate communication scientists use these same principles of messaging – <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1075547019834565" target="_blank">visual, local and dramatic</a> – to provide facts that will get the public's attention. Such messaging is intended to help people understand risk as it relates to them, and perhaps, change their behavior as a result.</p><p>As social scientists studying the effectiveness of climate change communication strategies, we became curious about a particular message we found <a href="https://www.zillow.com/homes/miami-beachrb/" target="_blank">online</a>. Some houses advertised for sale in South Florida were accompanied by banner ads with messages such as "Flooding hurts home value. Know more before you buy. Find out for free now." The ads were sponsored by the <a href="https://firststreet.org/" target="_blank">First Street Foundation</a> through their website <a href="https://floodiq.com/" target="_blank">FloodIQ.com</a>. The nonprofit foundation provides detailed aerial photos of present and future <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a> as a consequence of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">rising sea level</a>.</p><p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JKXl2AYAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">My colleague</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=d7a2JDMAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">I</a> decided to survey residents of coastal South Florida to better understand how information affected their attitudes and opinions. Did these messages developed by a <a href="https://firststreet.org/" target="_blank">nonprofit organization</a> change the perceptions of coastal residents who live in low-lying areas about the threat of coastal flooding as a result of sea level rise?</p><h3>Defining the Danger to Property by ZIP</h3>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjY2OTM4Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTgxMDY2M30.hmZeaJ9B9nvgrGjuAjXNWqN1CX1wrqUQSchsfkSZ4sY/img.png?width=980" id="874bd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="07b84a5c27bbdd835915763fff9873aa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Maps can be a way to see potential flood risk. www.FloodiQ.com, author provided
<p>Many studies of climate change communication and response have been based on <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2019/11/25/u-s-public-views-on-climate-and-energy/" target="_blank">national surveys</a> or more local reviews of counties and states susceptible to a range of coastal flooding. We focused our survey on a single region and a population at greatest risk: those who live in ZIP codes along the South Florida coast where the probability of flooding in local neighborhoods is extremely high.</p><p>With permission of the First Street Foundation to reproduce their maps that represent what flooding in the future might look like, we developed a survey to understand the effectiveness of tailored messages. How would this messaging impact residents' beliefs about climate change and sea level rise? We also asked if residents believed their communities and homes were at risk.</p><p>We surveyed more than 1,000 residents living in 166 ZIP codes in South Florida between October and December of 2018. All those surveyed were at risk from either the direct or indirect effects of flooding to their homes, including a decrease in property values as coastal property is perceived as a less desirable destination.</p><p>We sampled residents of seven metropolitan areas including Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Clearwater, Fort Myers, Key West, Miami-Dade County, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, and Vero Beach. Half the sample received a map of their own city, rendered at a scale so that their city block was visible. The maps illustrated what could happen just 15 years from now at the present rate of sea level rise if there were a Category 3 hurricane accompanied by storm surge flooding.</p>
<h3>Does Visual Information Make a Difference?</h3><p>The study was intended to assess how residents might perceive the vulnerability of their property and their communities to severe storms. We asked residents about their political affiliation and their support for policies such as zoning laws, gasoline taxes and other measures to address <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a>.</p><p>Surprisingly, we found that those who had viewed the maps were, on average, less likely to say they believed that climate change was taking place than those who had not seen the maps.</p><p>Further, those who saw the maps were less likely than those survey respondents who had not seen the maps to believe that climate change was responsible for the increased intensity of storms. Respondents who classified themselves as Republicans had the strongest negative responses to the maps.</p><p>Those who saw the maps were no more likely to believe that climate change exists, that climate change increases the severity of storms or that sea level is rising and related to climate change. Even more dramatically, exposure to the scientific map did not influence beliefs that their own homes were susceptible to flooding or that sea level rise would reduce local property values.</p><p>Consistent with national surveys, party identification was the strongest predictor of general perceptions of climate change and sea-level rise. However, the majority of homeowners denied that there was risk to their property values, regardless of political affiliation.</p>
<h3>What Does It Take to Change Minds?</h3><p>We believe that the <a href="https://oxfordre.com/politics/politics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-923" target="_blank">motivation</a> of our respondents, their underlying beliefs when forming an opinion, is important when reflecting on these survey results. Specifically, people often process information or learn in a way that protects their existing beliefs or their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0360-1" target="_blank">partisan leanings</a>.</p><p>In the case of our respondents' general beliefs about climate change and its connection to sea-level rise, those who belonged to the Republican Party may have dismissed the maps either because they challenged their party's stance on the issue or because they did not view the information as credible given their prior views. In the case of our respondents' views about the future effects of sea-level rise on property values, all of the homeowners we surveyed, regardless of their partisanship, may have been motivated by their personal financial interests to reject the notion that sea-level rise would reduce their own property values.</p><p>It is important to emphasize that targeted information about climate change may lead to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17524032.2018.1546202" target="_blank">unintended effects</a>. While accurate and easily absorbed information is important, it will take a much more nuanced approach to change the way <a href="https://theconversation.com/humans-are-hardwired-to-dismiss-facts-that-dont-fit-their-worldview-127168" target="_blank">people understand information</a>. As advertisers well know, it takes more than facts to sell any product.</p>
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<em>Risa Palm is a professor of urban studies and public health at Georgia State University.<br/>
</em><em>Toby W. Bolsen is an associate professor of American politics and political science at Georgia State University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.<br/>
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Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/sea-level-rise-wont-affect-my-house-even-flood-maps-dont-sway-florida-coastal-residents-130433" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130433/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>From Your Site Articles
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Nick Aumen / USGS
By John R. Platt and Dipika Kadaba
Florida manatees had another deadly year in 2019.
An estimated 531 manatees died in Florida waters in the past 12 months. That's a significant decrease from the number of deaths in 2018, when 824 manatees died, but it still represents a nearly 10 percent loss to their population in the state.
<p>Some manatees die from natural causes each year, but most of this year's mortalities were caused by a particularly human element:</p><p>Boats.</p><p>According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which keeps track of manatee mortality, at least 136 manatees died last year after being struck by speeding watercraft. That's nearly two times the number of manatees killed by boats in 2014. The number of boat strikes started to climb in 2016 — the same year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed downlisting the species' conservation status from "endangered" to the lesser category of "threatened."</p><p>As a result of this and other threats, manatee populations appear to be on the decline again. The most recent annual <a href="https://myfwc.com/research/manatee/research/population-monitoring/synoptic-surveys/" target="_blank">synoptic survey</a>, conducted at the beginning of 2019, found 5,733 manatees in Florida waters — down from 6,620 just two years earlier. (Florida uses these surveys to provide a general view of manatee populations and but does not use them to assess long-term trends.)</p><p>What else killed manatees this past year? Watch our video below to learn more.</p>
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<p> <em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/2019-florida-manatees-killed/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em><em></em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A baby burrowing owl perched outside its burrow on Marco Island, Florida. LagunaticPhoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Burrowing owls, which make their homes in small holes in the ground, are having a rough time in Florida. That's why Marco Island on the Gulf Coast passed a resolution to pay residents $250 to start an owl burrow in their front yard, as the Marco Eagle reported.
<p>The city council's resolution earmarks $5,000 a year to create a home for the struggling birds. That doesn't mean that residents can just take a shovel and dig out a piece of their yard. The starter burrow has to be created by <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> crews from the <a href="https://audubonwe.org/" target="_blank">Audubon of the Western Everglades</a>, according to the <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/437949227/Burrowing-Owl-Incentive-Grant-City-of-Marco-Island" target="_blank">City Council</a>.</p><p>The Audubon of the Western Everglades has to build the burrow since they understand best what appeals to the finicky birds. The burrows cannot be too close to a tree nor to a house, nor can they nick a pipe accidentally, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/26/us/burrowing-owls-florida-pay-residents-yard-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p>
<p>Alli Smith, a biologist with Audubon of the Western Everglades, a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> group said that there are about 500 burrowing owls that live on Marco Island, but they are increasingly rare in the rest of the state, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/26/us/burrowing-owls-florida-pay-residents-yard-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported. The<a href="https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/owls/burrowing-owl/" target="_blank"> Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission</a> designated the burrowing owl as "state-threatened" in 2017.</p><p>"Marco Island is the first in the state to enact a program designed to expand the habitat of a threatened species (while) rewarding citizens who wish to participate voluntarily," said Jared Grifoni, Marco Island's City Council vice-chair, in an email to the <a href="https://www.marconews.com/story/news/2020/01/22/marco-island-pay-homeowners-250-dig-starter-owl-burrows/4531631002/" target="_blank">Marco Eagle</a>. "We will be an example of positive and cooperative action to the entire state."</p>
<p>Griffoni added that he expects the program to start next week. "The goal was to have everything in place by the start of nesting season," Grifoni wrote to the <a href="https://www.marconews.com/story/news/2020/01/22/marco-island-pay-homeowners-250-dig-starter-owl-burrows/4531631002/" target="_blank">Marco Eagle</a>. Nesting season for the burrowing owl starts in February and ends in July.</p><p>Alli Smith told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/26/us/burrowing-owls-florida-pay-residents-yard-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> that the small owls usually live in the grasslands of central Florida that have disappeared thanks to development and commercial farming. Consequently, the owls have moved to more urban spaces, like the empty lots in Marco Island.</p><p>Marco Island and Cape Coral, about 45 miles north of Marco Island, host the two largest burrowing owl populations. The burrowing owl is the official bird of Cape Coral.</p>
<p>Last week, activists and residents demonstrated against a new development called Sands Park on Pine Island, off the coast of Cape Coral, which they claim will threaten the burrowing the owls there.</p><p>"We're here to save this park from being developed in a way that will affect wildlife. We have four active nests and some other ones we want to save, and they put a jogging path there that will collapse those burrows," said activist Carl Veaux, as the <a href="http://www.pineisland-eagle.com/page/content.detail/id/558526/Burrowing-owl-supporters-make-case-at-Sands-location.html?nav=5059" target="_blank">Pine Island Eagle</a> reported. "We've talked to the city council on this and will talk with them again."</p><p>"This is a time when starter burrows should be in full force in parks and government entities, in our front yards and in our schools," said Pascha Donaldson, vice president of Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, as the <a href="http://www.pineisland-eagle.com/page/content.detail/id/558526/Burrowing-owl-supporters-make-case-at-Sands-location.html?nav=5059" target="_blank">Pine Island Eagle</a> reported. "We shouldn't be collapsing burrows. Our builders do enough of that."</p><p>"We need to learn to live in harmony with our wildlife friends, not to destroy them," Donaldson said.</p><p>In Marco Island, nearly 95 percent of the burrowing owls live in vacant lots. Owners who want to build on the empty lots are able to remove the burrows after obtaining a permit, ruining some of the few burrows that are left in Florida, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/26/us/burrowing-owls-florida-pay-residents-yard-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>"We're just trying to give them some extra places to live," said Smith to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/26/us/burrowing-owls-florida-pay-residents-yard-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p>
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