The Miami Climate Alliance brought environmental advocates, community organizers and residents together at the Hispanic Branch Library for its general meeting to discuss climate challenges facing South Florida and ways to build collective solutions.
Z-Spicer, a climate justice organizer with Catalyst Miami, said the meeting was an opportunity to connect people and organizations working toward a more resilient future for the region.
Members discussed issues including hurricane preparedness, extreme heat, flooding, transportation, housing, health and access to natural resources. The meeting also featured group activities and a rapid-fire workshop where participants identified challenges and explored areas where collective action could have the greatest impact.
Spicer said South Florida is facing growing climate threats while government responses have struggled to keep pace with the problems communities experience.
“We have so much that we’re facing here in Miami. Extreme heat, flooding, hurricanes… And truly, the government is just not moving at the pace that it needs to to face these problems,” she said.
Through its meetings, the Miami Climate Alliance aims to create connections between organizations and community members who may not have previously worked together.
“What we really try to do in one of the biggest goals for all of our meetings is just to bring people together who have not been connected before, so they can find out how to support each other, how to collaborate,” she said.
