Ideas for Enhancing Charlotte
County’s Management of Our Exceptional Estuaries,
Waterways and Water Quality – Now
Coty
Keller, David Blewett, and Judy Ott
October 21, 2019
The purpose of the discussion
paper is to provide ideas for improving the county’s capabilities for restoring
and safeguarding our invaluable estuaries and waterways before irreparable
damage occurs. It is intended to alert and inform local community members about
our water quality crisis in the making, as well as start discussions and
encourage actions which protect and restore our waterways. Charlotte County is
a special place with a water-based lifestyle but it is changing rapidly.
Correcting our water quality problems now and planning for future growth are
essential for our economy and waterways over the long-term.
Click HERE for the full 54-page paper
Click HERE
for a 6- page Summary
Click HERE to see a presentation at Florida
SouthWestern College February 19, 2020
Click HERE to see a presentation at CHNEP’s
Watershed Summit June 2, 2020
Water Quality –It’s Not Just Nutrients:
How Climate Change is Necessitating New Restoration Strategies
Water quality impairments,
rising water temperatures and increasing filamentous algae blooms have recently
been documented in the Charlotte Harbor estuaries. As our water quality
declines, we face an estuary resource crisis which threatens our economy and
lifestyle. The causes of water quality degradation include increasing nutrients
from stormwater runoff and wastewater, and increasing sea levels, water
temperatures and storm intensities associated with climate change. A
combination of federal, state, regional, local and citizen actions are needed
to identify and implement innovative, comprehensive strategies for protecting and
restoring our local estuaries’ health while it is still physically and fiscally
feasible.
Addressing water quality and
climate change issues is time sensitive and requires immediate action on all
levels of government and society. Charlotte County has initiated steps toward
increasing understanding and management of water quality. But we must also
begin adapting to and mitigating climate change through local, state and
federal programs. Climate change adaptation is our process for adjusting to
anticipated changes by protecting existing infrastructure, homes, and people
from rising seas, fires, and stronger weather. Mitigation intervenes with
climate changes by reducing heat-trapping emissions and removing carbon already
in the atmosphere.
Resistance to climate change
mitigation is dangerous, especially for Florida. For example, while Florida’s
Governor has acknowledged climate change exists, the title for the new climate
change director is “Chief Resilience Officer”, reflecting focus on adaptation
but not mitigation. Charlotte County’s Comprehensive Plan updates do not
consider the causes of sea level rise and warming, thereby ignoring mitigation.
And, while Lee, Collier and Charlotte Counties are developing a “Southwest
Florida Resiliency Compact”, a comprehensive “climate compact” is more
critical. The city of Punta Gorda was named one of the most progressive cities
in the world in the 2014 National Climate Assessment. But the city’s comprehensive plan is almost
exclusively about adaptation, with little if any explicit mitigation. We must
expand our focus beyond adaptation and resiliency. Without mitigation, the
climate will continue to change and long-term impacts will become too severe to
manage. To avoid rapidly increasing algae blooms, water quality decline and
other devastating consequences we must enhance our mitigation strategies
immediately.
Mitigating climate change
causes and effects is urgent. Scientist estimate that we must implement
significant actions and policies within 10 years or rapid natural processes,
such as melting of the permafrost and associated methane release, will render
us incapable of slowing the runaway heating of our plant. Critical goals
include:
1)
reducing
emissions by 70-100% by 2030 through conservation and transition to
non-emitting energy sources; and
2)
removing excess
carbon from the atmosphere by reforestation and soil management.
Action
by businesses and individuals is essential, but the greatest leverage comes
from federal, state and local governments utilizing their specific authorities
and policies, including:
·
Federal: Pass laws which put a rising price on carbon and return revenues to
consumers, such as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which could
reduce emissions by 40% in 10 years, create jobs, and stimulate the
economy. Global cooperation is essential
to achieve the degree of climate mitigation to achieve the level of carbon
removal needed. We need, at a minimum, support for participation in
the Paris agreement. Pandemic Action:
Incorporate clean energy initiatives & economic strategies in pandemic
recovery plans.
· State: Adopt
regulations which: a) require energy providers to create carbon energy
portfolios with 100% zero emission electricity by 2030; b) prohibit utilities from earning higher
profits from selling more electricity; c) eliminate barriers to using and
distributing solar energy; and d) ban fracking.
·
Local: Adopt rules and comprehensive plans which include: a)
building codes, landscaping and farming rules, and public transportation
policies which conserve, sequester and transition to zero emission fuels; and
b) climate change adaption and mitigation, especially as it protects and
restores water quality and native habitats.
Click HERE to see a presentation at CHNEP’s
Watershed Summit June 1, 2020
Click HERE to see a list of additional
readings and references about water quality and climate change