Florida City May be Unprepared for Extreme Weather from Climate Change

Are United States cities prepared for climate change? A new study has examined six American cities and has ranked them in terms of how prepared they are for changing weather.

The study looked at Portland, Boston, Los Angeles, Raleigh, Tucson and Tampa. In particular, it examined societal factors, such as the political environment, and how they affect a city's ability to act on climate change. The researchers also interview 65 local decision makers in each of the six cities, finding that there are three factors that play a role in how well city planners prepare for climate change.

So what did they find? Portland, Boston and Los Angeles are all in the advanced to middle stages of planning for extreme weather events linked to climate change. Raleigh and Tucson are in the early to middle stages. In contrast, Tampa, a city that is at the highest risk for hurricanes, is at the bottom of the list with little or no planning for the shifting risks due to climate change.

"Tampa is vulnerable to climate change and associated extreme weather," said Sabrina McCormick, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Despite this risk, Florida's political representatives remain largely unconcerned about climate change."

The findings reveal a bit more about how each city might respond to climate change. This is especially important to note for future climate conditions, and hopefully will spur cities that are less prepared to take action.

The findings are published in the journal Global Environmental Change.

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