Climate Change, also called Global Warming, is a subject of tremendous interest and debate. Pinellas County is particularly vulnerable, as a coastal community, to the potential impacts of climate change. Many communities are taking action to create plans to prepare for potential impacts, such as sea level rise, changes in weather conditions (floods or drought), higher maximum temperatures, more severe weather, and changes in distribution of plants and insects. Sea level rise, combined with an increase in the severity of storms, is a serious concern for the local community, as well as all of Florida. Early signs of climate change in the state include drought, increased forest fires, eroding shorelines and dying coral reefs.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007 report) http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-syr.htm , representing 600 scientists in more than 100 countries, stressed that global warming is "unequivocal" and "very likely" man-made. The panel estimated a 3.5 to 8 degree increase in average surface temperatures, and a 7 to 23 inch sea-level rise, by 2100. Faster than expected melting of ice in Greenland and Antarctica has been noted and may indicate a speeding up of climate change impacts. Greenhouse gas emissions (http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/index.html) , primarily from the burning of fossil fuels for electricity and transportation, have been identified as a major contributor to climate change. Due to the uncertainty of the impacts and when they will occur, communities across the nation are taking action.

Action Steps for Pinellas County:

1. Create an inventory of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions
2. Pledge to reduce GHG emissions and set a target for reduction
3. Work with local, regional and national governments to enact requirements and incentives for reducing GHG emissions to 80 percent below current levels by 2050
4. Identify regional climate change impacts and implement a county plan to prepare for and build resilience to those impacts