Miami-Dade Officials released a plan to adapt to rising sea levels. This plan has been formulated as a result of the growing threat of climate change.

The plan details a strategy to live with the water. Another part of the strategy focuses on elevating homes and buildings as well as streets. There is also a plan to leave open space in more low-lying areas

Climate change experts weighed in on the strategy and claimed that Miami-Dade was not taking the issue as seriously as it should be taken. Rob Moore, a policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defence Council, said that the plan was “just enough to reassure developers that Miami’s safe enough to build in, in the near term.”

“I think that Dade has a responsibility to prevent the problem from getting worse in the future,” said Katrina Diaz- Balart, a junior at ILS.

The plan has been met with much doubt and is part of a much larger debate that is widespread. Climate change has brought along natural disasters with disastrous effects. Experts believe that these plans are not only present in Miami-Dade, but in other locations that would be affected by rising water levels.

Officials worry that encouraging people to move from low-lying areas would result in major economic loss. However, this notion is met with opposition due to the dangerous outcome it could have if people are not warned about the threat.

“I think Dade should be doing more to combat not only rising water levels, but also climate change as a whole,” said ILS junior Gabriela Danger. “Even though we are one county, perhaps others would follow our example. As a coastal area, this problem literally cannot be ignored any longer.”