Climate change, extreme heat, and Unguarded, an investigation - WUSF Public Media
Climate change, extreme heat, and Unguarded, an investigation | WUSF Public Media
Climate change, extreme heat, and Unguarded, an investigation
On this week's Florida Roundup, we discuss how our recent heat is a result of climate change and why we should expect more extreme temperatures to come. Also: WLRN investigates the Miami-Dade County Guardianship Program.
If you feel like it’s been hotter than usual lately — that’s because it’s true. Much of the southern U.S. has seen record heat over the last few weeks, with a new record being broken seemingly every few days.
Scientists say this is not a fluke heat wave. It’s a result of human-caused climate change, and we should expect more extreme temperatures to come.
On today's show, we talk about the numbers and the science behind the heat with a panel that includes a climate reporter, a meteorologist and an atmospheric scientist.
We’ll also hear about how the warming weather disproportionately affects certain populations in the state and what you can do to protect yourself throughout this hot season.
Guests:
- Alex Harris, reporter covering climate change for the Miami Herald.
- Megan Borowski, meteorologist for Florida Public Radio Network.
- Brian McNoldy, senior research associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science.
- Amanda Rabines, reporter for the Orlando Sentinel.
- Brian Pippin, director of consumer experience for JEA.
Unguarded, an investigation
Guardianship programs play a vital part in helping some of the state’s most vulnerable residents. These programs step in when Floridians who are elderly or disabled can no longer take care of themselves and don’t have family or friends who are able, or willing, to do so. In some cases, their homes and other assets are taken over by the state and sold to help pay for care and living expenses.
But an investigation by WLRN News into the Miami-Dade County Guardianship Program — the state’s largest — revealed how a network of Miami real estate companies has profited off the sale of Guardianship homes.
Guest:
Joshua Ceballos, reporter for WLRN News.
Copyright 2023 WJCT News 89.9. To see more, visit WJCT News 89.9.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate science
What began as a theory in the 1890s — that industrial emissions of carbon dioxide could increase global temperatures — had progressed to a scientific fact a century later. Scientists across a range of disciplines are studying the impact of the still-growing concentration of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere as they call for industrial and governmental policies to slow, then halt, the warming of the planet.