Two Tampa Bay Democrats serving in Congress–U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor and Charlie Crist–want the UN to host a convention on climate change in their backyard.
This week, Castor and Crist sent a letter to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, urging them to turn to Tampa Bay to host the 2019 Conference of the Parties (COP 25).
“Given the COP 25’s focus on global efforts to combat climate change, and with the region not only one of the most impacted communities but also leading efforts in this fight, the members are echoing the invitation made by Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long for Tampa Bay to host the conference in November of 2019,” Crist’s office noted.
The two Democrats wrote Patricia Espinosa, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat, on the matter.
“We are writing to propose that the Tampa Bay region of Florida host the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 25) in November of 2019,” Castor and Crist wrote. “The Tampa Bay community is a leading force in the effort to combat climate change and prepare for the impacts of a warming planet. Earlier this year, 26 regional governments signed on to join the Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition, an initiative to address sea level rise and climate resiliency as well as coordinate climate adaption and mitigation activities. The coalition is an example, nationally and internationally, of how governments – especially local governments – can collaborate to better respond to global climate change.
“Additionally, the Tampa Bay region is one of the most vulnerable areas on Earth to the impacts of a changing climate. As temperatures increase, Floridians face sea level rise, extreme weather events, the spread of diseases, drought, and increased energy costs. Indeed, the region’s economy, public health, and natural resources are in grave jeopardy in the face of increasingly warming climate,” they added. “The Tampa Bay community is not only ready, willing, and able to host the COP 25, but it is representative of the local communities around the world that are both most effected by the impacts of a warming planet and are leading efforts to adapt to and mitigate global climate change.”
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