As Florida downplays global warming, Climate Week pushes back

By Trimmel GomesFlorida’s Department of Education has proposed new science standards critics said minimize evolution and avoid the phrase “climate change.”The department says it isn’t removing those topics. Public comment on the rules is open through Oct. 5, which also marks the start of Florida Climate Week. The celebration will feature more than 130 free events across the state, along with virtual sessions, the largest program in six years.Thais Lopez Vogel, president of VoLo Foundation, which organizes Florida Climate Week, stressed the need for climate education.”Floridians are not waiting for one solution. They are developing their own solutions in their own neighborhoods and then sharing what works with other communities,” Lopez Vogel explained. “And like I always say, there’s no future without environmental education. Let’s get to action. Let’s educate ourselves.”Jacksonville is hosting more than 25 events this year, up from 10 last year. Programming includes Orange County’s “From Heat to Hurricanes” panel and Rollins College’s Florida Climate Fair.For those interested in learning more about the new standards, the final stop of the state’s Science Standards Listening Tour will be Aug. 5 at 5 p.m. at Walton High School in Walton County.Lopez Vogel stressed each community shapes its own programming based on local needs.”The needs and the problems that Jacksonville or rural communities are facing are not the same ones that Miami is facing or people that are near the coast, because that one is more sea-level rise, the other one has droughts. So we let every community lead their programs,” Lopez Vogel added.Cities and counties are also taking a leading role in Florida Climate Week, with partners including Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale, plus Orange, Hardee and Miami-Dade counties. Florida Gulf Coast University is an official university partner.The REEF Ocean Exploration Center in Key Largo will host a special experience where participants can learn fish survey methods, join a dive or snorkel and contribute observations to the world’s largest marine fish database.This story was originally published by Public News Service.