Representing our quality of life and our tourism.

More Heat, Less Beaches

Our Lifeguard House Statue is located outside of The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (1101 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132).

Please wear a mask and practice social distancing while you are there.

Follow @CLEOInstitute to see our whole Florida Climate Crisis campaign!

If you take a photo or a video with it, please tag @cleoinstitute.org and use #FLClimateCrisis.

Scientific American published an article this year titled Miami Is the “Most Vulnerable” Coastal City Worldwide . With a population of over 2.7 million people, there are hundreds of billions of dollars in assets under assault from winds, storm surges, coastal flooding, and sea-level rise. From our health to our economy, everything is at risk. The American Lung Associations’ State of the Air Report gave Miami-Dade County a failing grade when it comes to ground-level ozone gas pollution.

As you can imagine, not everyone will feel the impacts of the climate crisis in the same way in Miami-Dade County. According to the ALICE report (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), 37% of Miami-Dade County households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county. 17% live at or below the Federal Poverty Level. This means that 54% of the people living here do not have the opportunity to protect their homes from hurricanes or flooding. They are not able to evacuate and are more vulnerable to extreme heat. Miami actually experienced the hottest week on record in June. Mayor Frances Suarez, of the City of Miami, actually declared a Climate Emergency this year. However, more needs to be done to protect Miami, Florida, and our planet, because we’re all connected. Miami is not alone in the climate crisis, from the wildfires in California to the ice melts in Greenland and severe flooding in the midwest, we are all facing more climate crisis-related impacts because our global warming pollution is more than our planet can handle.