Facing the Future: South Florida vs Climate Change
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Provided by: WLRN Public Television and Radio|Published on: July 23, 2026
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Synopsis
- This hour-long documentary follows researchers, activists, artists, educators, and public officials across South Florida over the course of the 2024 hurricane season as they respond to escalating climate threats: record heat, flooding, and hurricanes.
- The film explores specific resilience efforts, such as Key Largo's Stillwright Point seeking flood-mitigation funding, the University of Miami and Broward's Climate Compact coordinating regional policy, FIU's citizen-scientist king tide monitoring, and the Florida Wildlife Corridor's land conservation work.
- It emphasizes likely scenarios and equitable, community-based solutions, framing climate adaptation as both an urgent, science-driven challenge and a collective, community-led effort.
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Civics, Geography
Authors: WRLN Public Television and Radio
Region: Florida
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Classroom Implementation:
- This video is roughly one hour long and would make a good introduction or closing to an Earth week unit.
- Because it features many expert and community voices, consider giving students a viewing guide that asks them to track which challenges and which solutions each speaker describes.
- Use the film's focus on equitable solutions to prompt a discussion of how climate impacts and responses can differ across neighborhoods and communities.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
- Earth and Space Science:
- Have students explain why densely developed, low-lying South Florida is especially vulnerable to sea level rise and stronger storms.
- Explore why South Florida's porous limestone layer poses challenges for sea-level rise.
- Government/Civics:
- Develop a viewing guide for students to track civic actions and government actors that push forward or undermine climate action.
Options for Action:
- Explore the different organizations mentioned in the documentary to find out if there are any events students can join (for example, join the CLEO Institute's genCLEO Youth Movement or arrange a field trip to the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science).
- Have students create presentations, posters, or infographics about the impact of urbanization and population growth on the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
