Environmental activists in Orlando are demanding that Florida’s elected officials address the threat of climate change. At a downtown rally this evening, members of the Orlando Climate Movement Coalition will urge state-elected leaders to start creating a plan to protect cities like Tampa and Miami from long-term damage.
"With increasing sea levels and eradication of species, warming global temperatures, the reality here in Florida is that climate change is affecting us at a very rapid rate," said coalition spokeswoman Christina Hernandez in a phone interview with 90.7 News.
Members of the coalition will march from Senator Marco Rubio’s office to Lake Eola, calling elected officials to develop a statewide plan to tackle climate change. Hernandez is concerned there’s not enough consensus among leadership that it is a real threat. She cited Florida governor Rick Scott's decision not to use the term "climate change."
"Our elected officials cannot hide behind their personal beliefs on this issue and really need to face the reality that climate change is here—it is real—and, us, Floridians in the state are more susceptible and most vulnerable to the changes that are occurring," she said.
The coalition will also ask that half the state's energy sources be completely renewable by 2030.
Members of the group will rally in tandem with climate change activists in 100 other cities as part of the anniversary of the People’s Climate March that drew 400,000 people in New York last year.