Linette Garcia | Staff Writer
The weather app promised a frigid day but when I stepped outside, I was hit with hot and humid air— the complete opposite of the weather I anticipated for this holiday season.
Rather than chillier weather for the holidays, we have scathing heat and if we’re lucky, a bit of chilly wind here and there.
Many of us who grew up in Miami know we don’t experience “normal” season changes here.
While states up north overindulge in hot drinks and overspend on the trendiest coats, we’re ordering iced replicas of hot beverages and looking for lightweight sweaters.
Don’t get me wrong, I love going out to a market or a mall wearing a breathable tank top with loose-fitting jeans. But I would also love to strut in sleek boots and an oversized hoodie without feeling the sweat mounting all over my body.
It’s been unbearably hot this entire year, and I fear it’ll get more extreme in the upcoming years.
The past few months Florida has been with heavy rain, devastating storms and scorching high temperatures.
The reality is that we are witnessing a region that will be flooded with abnormally warm waters caused by climate change and our state government doesn’t seem to care.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation to stop and remove all climate change references from Florida’s policy. He also prohibited local governments from using heat protectants on their workers.
Florida is the most vulnerable coastal state in America to torrential disasters, how could he push back the climate change claim when the evidence is clear as day?
It’s baffling to me that despite the concern of rising seas tempting to swallow Miami, there are still people from out-of-state deliberately choosing to live here.
I understand most tourists or soon-to-be residents trickle down here to tan at the beach by day and club with reggaeton music pulsing from gigantic speakers at night. Still, our environment’s health continues to deteriorate.
The feared future of climate change is already here, yet we’re normalizing its impact.
Hurricanes, floods and heat waves have become unpredictable, and their severity is escalating.
Florida is not prepared for increased water levels and steaming days— our state government doesn’t even think global warming is real.
There’s not much we can do to alleviate Florida’s hot weather and high ocean predicament. However, there are small steps that we can take to help change the narrative like raising awareness, reducing and recycling, saving energy and avoiding clothing overconsumption that add on to the growing garbage hills.
I want to see Miami as a thriving and healthy place where we can sport any outfit without the consequences of a heat stroke. But with the state continuing to warm up, the heat will only get worse.
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