Opinion: Why South Florida Needs Aggressive Climate Action Now—Before It's Too Late

South Florida is drowning—not metaphorically, but literally. And unlike climate change in other parts of America, this isn’t a distant future threat. It’s happening now, in our streets, our neighborhoods, our wallets.

Last Tuesday, parts of Miami Beach flooded during a routine high tide. No hurricane. No major storm. Just the rising ocean doing what centuries of climate science predicted it would do. The water came up through the storm drains, flooded ground floors, and forced residents to park on higher ground.

This is our reality. And if we don’t act aggressively—not gradually, not eventually, but now—we will watch South Florida’s economy, culture, and communities disappear underwater.

The Math Doesn’t Lie

The science is settled. Global ocean levels are rising at an accelerating rate. Since 1880, sea levels have risen 8-9 inches globally. Since 1993 alone, that rate has doubled. Miami-Dade County, built on porous limestone with nowhere higher to retreat to, faces some of the worst impacts of any major metropolitan area in America.

A 2023 study by the Union of Concerned Scientists projected that unmitigated sea level rise could cost South Florida between $150 billion and $750 billion in property losses by 2050. That’s not the crazy alarmism of environmentalists—it’s the sober analysis of scientists using peer-reviewed data.

And those projections don’t account for increased hurricane intensity, saltwater intrusion of freshwater aquifers, and the cascading economic collapse of the tourism and real estate industries that drive our region.

We Have the Technology. We Lack the Will.

Solar panels are cheaper than they’ve ever been. Battery storage technology is advancing rapidly. Electric vehicles outsold gasoline cars in California last year. Renewable energy now undercuts coal and natural gas on price in most of America.

The technology exists. What’s missing is political will and aggressive implementation.

South Florida currently generates less than 3 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, despite having some of the best solar potential in the continental United States. Why? Because our utilities have lobbied successfully to block the kind of aggressive renewable energy standards that California, New York, and increasingly even Texas have implemented.

Miami has made commitments to carbon neutrality, but commitments aren’t enough. We need binding targets, mandates, and enforcement mechanisms. We need requirements that new construction meet carbon-negative standards. We need requirements that retrofitting existing buildings becomes mandatory, not optional.

The Economic Argument for Action

Here’s what gets lost in the political debate: climate action is an economic opportunity, not a burden.

Miami-Dade County could become the renewable energy capital of the Southeast, attracting billions in clean energy investment. The coral restoration project that made headlines this week creates jobs and protects fisheries worth hundreds of millions annually. Energy efficiency retrofitting creates more jobs per dollar spent than almost any other construction activity.

Cities that act on climate—Copenhagen, Amsterdam, San Francisco—don’t become economic wastelands. They become magnets for talent and investment. Companies want to locate in cities with stable infrastructure, clean energy, and quality of life.

Cities that fail to act become disasters. Coastal areas facing sea level rise see property values collapse, insurance becomes unaffordable, and younger people leave for higher ground.

The Moral Reckoning

Beyond the economics, there’s a moral dimension that should matter in South Florida.

Our city was built by people escaping poverty and persecution. Cuban immigrants built South Florida. Haitian immigrants built South Florida. Central American refugees built South Florida. Black Miamians who arrived during the great migration built South Florida.

Many of those communities—Little Havana, Wynwood, Liberty City, Allapattah, Overtown—are also among the most vulnerable to climate impacts. They have fewer resources to relocate, less access to higher ground, older housing stock more susceptible to flooding and heat.

If we know climate change is coming, and we know it will hit poor communities hardest, and we do nothing, we’ve made a moral choice. We’re choosing to sacrifice the communities that built this city.

That’s not acceptable.

What Needs to Happen

County and city government needs to pass aggressive mandates:

1. 100 percent renewable energy by 2040. Not goals. Mandates with enforcement and penalties.

2. Building carbon standards. All new commercial construction must be carbon-negative. All residential must include solar and efficient systems.

3. Coastal protection requirements. Establish genuine adaptation standards for flood-prone neighborhoods, including elevation requirements, green infrastructure, and managed retreat where appropriate.

4. Jobs and just transition. Ensure that the workers currently in fossil fuel industries have training, support, and well-paying jobs in renewable energy and green construction.

5. Accountability. Create an independent climate authority with real oversight power over implementation.

South Florida’s future is not predetermined. We can become a climate refuge—a city that proves you can have robust economic growth, world-class living standards, and environmental sustainability.

Or we can become a cautionary tale.

The coral reefs we’re fighting to save, the tourism industry we’re desperate to protect, the neighborhoods we claim to care about—all of it disappears if we fail to act aggressively on climate.

We know what needs to happen. We have the technology. We have the knowledge. What we need is the political courage to act.

The time for gradual change ended decades ago. Now is the time for transformation.