Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Brain, David

Keywords

Climate Change, Florida, Seven50, Sea Level Rise

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

Florida’s Seven50 and Climate Change Compact plans have received both praise and opposition. While counties such as Monroe and Miami-Dade are experiencing first-hand the effects of climate change; counties in northern Florida (St. Lucie, Martin, and Indian River) do not see sea level rise as an immediate threat. Consequently, the opinions of the residents in these counties have influenced either their resignation or participation in both Seven50 and the Climate Change Compact. This thesis will present the results of five separate interviews which seek to understand why the four counties in southern Florida (Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach) maintained a partnership with Seven50 and the Climate Change Compact while the three northern counties (St. Lucie, Martin, and Indian River) withdrew. In the end, it was how the individual counties understood climate change that influenced action towards sea level rise.

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