Climate Change

Florida and Alaska are opposites when it comes to many things. Alaska is cold; Florida is the land of eternal summer. Alaska has snow and blizzards; Florida has tropical storms with pound in grain. Sea level rise is a critical concern to much of Florida's coast, and loss of beach sand is an enduring issue where storms or development have occurred. In Alaska, the coast is a mix of mountains and huge lengths of coastline that is along low lying terrain which suffer from severe coastal erosion resulting of loss of seaice in the fall months. Temperatures melt the permafrost at ever-increasing depths in Alaska, but heat is not new in Florida, where permafrost has not existed in millions of years, if ever. So how the setwostates are located over 5000 miles apart, similar? That was the question posed before the Arctic-Florida conference in 2016. The result was that Alaska and Florida do share many commonalities, and there is much to learn from each other. For example, Alaska's population continues to grow as does Florida's. In both states there are changes in wildlife. Florida has incurred changes in migration patterns and native populations. In Alaska there is an increased incidence of diseases in wild animals which are a food source for many Alaskans. Warmer waters are causing fish to change migration patterns. Likewise diseases have impacted at-risk communities in Alaska; such a prediction has recently been discussed for Florida. Adaptation strategies are underway in Florida, which can help in Alaska. Roads, water supplies, water storage, waste water and storm water are all issues that pose challenges to both states, so there are answers in infrastructure adaptation strategies. Many common problems can be solved by sharing information. The Florida-Alaska connection is an example of looking outside the box to find ideas that can be useful to those deemed to be far different.