An environmental opportunity in recovering from COVID-19

In the past month, Florida has experienced a post-reopening spike in COVID-19 cases so significant that experts fear the state may become a new epicenter of viral transmission and strained healthcare systems. COVID-19 has laid bare that crises are amplified if decision-making does not adequately account for future repercussions. Whether Florida pauses to reassess or continues with reopening, now is the time to consider how the state can progress in a way that most fully mitigates future health risks.

Florida is uniquely situated in terms of preventable health threats — it is one of the states most vulnerable to climate change. By scientific estimates, populous parts of Florida will be severely threatened due to sea level rise before century’s end. This is in addition to worsening hurricane severity, drinking water contamination from salinization and agricultural runoff, risk of mosquito-borne disease with fluctuating environmental conditions, and increased days of dangerously high heat.

As the nation now reckons with systemic racism and inequities, it is crucial to remember that vulnerable populations — often communities of color — disproportionately bear the burdens of climate change and environmental pollution. This is exemplified in Miami by climate gentrification, as higher-elevation communities are ousted by coastal developers avoiding sea-level rise, and by the agricultural laborers across Florida experiencing increased risk of heat stress.

Climate change also interacts with pandemics; bettering our environment may bolster resilience to illness. Exposure to air pollution, for example, leads to worse COVID-19 outcomes. Additionally, novel disease outbreaks may be accelerated by environmental degradation that increases human-wildlife contact or by warming temperatures that release pathogens previously frozen in permafrost.

As such, legislators can proactively protect health through sustainable COVID-19 recoveries that invest, for example, in energy-efficient retrofitting, renewable energy infrastructure, green urban spaces, and climate resilience plans. This aligns with recent national calls for a green recovery, including a letter to the G20 leaders from healthcare professionals, sustainable recovery guidelines from the World Bank, and a statement from industry giants urging recoveries backed by climate science.

For Florida, this means bolstering the state’s preparedness for sea level rise and natural disasters by supporting initiatives like Miami’s Rising Above and CLEAR. It means developing heat stress standards to protect outdoor workers. It also means no longer killing climate-positive bills. Additional steps include ensuring clean drinking water by accelerating the Everglades Restoration Plan and divesting from the influence of Big Sugar. Critically, Florida must move away from fossil fuels and commit to harnessing the potential of solar energy by providing incentives and rejecting the lobbies of utility companies seeking to block solar. Though the state is beginning to take positive steps, the governor this year received a “D” from the Florida Sierra Club, indicted for continued inaction around fossil fuel emissions and climate action.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that health crises can hit hard and fast, and that preparedness is key. As Florida recovers from its initial reopening and plans for future revitalization, let it take decisive action to best protect health by prioritizing a sustainable recovery.

Genevieve Silva is a Florida resident and a medical student on the leadership board of Medical Students for a Sustainable Future, a national organization of medical students dedicated to action around climate change.