Miami-Dade County GreenPrint: Our Design for a Sustainable Future

Miami-Dade County, Florida’s GreenPrint is a five-year action plan that outlines the County's sustainability goals and achievements. The plan includes strategies to create a new generation of green leaders, use less water and energy, maintain the environment, use land wisely and provide more transportation options, create green jobs, and support healthy communities. A Climate Change Action Plan with adaptation and mitigation goals is built into the larger sustainability document - recognizing the uniquely high risks from climate change in the region. The plan lists the county’s large population, sensitive ecosystems, and coastal location as major motivating factors driving their sustainability efforts.

While the majority of the 200 page plan is dedicated to broader sustainability and climate change mitigation policies, it directly addresses the subject of climate change adaptation in the Climate Change Action Plan section of the report (pgs. 71-77). It particularly emphasizes the risks related to rising sea levels and weather pattern changes . The adaptation plan addresses the following impacts:

  • Temperature Extremes
  • Rainfall Extremes
  • Saltwater Intrusion and Water Supply
  • Coastal Erosion and Shallow Coastal Flooding
  • Inland Flooding and Stormwater Management
  • Extreme Storms

At the time of publication, Miami-Dade County was already undertaking several initiatives that are described in the document, including creating a water flow model to assess local water use, saltwater intrusion, and sea level rise. Additionally, the county is planning to construct infrastructure aimed at reducing the impact of sea level rise. The plan outlines the following key strategies to support these efforts:

  1. Track local and regional climate change indicators and trends
  2. Develop local and regional climate change scenarios depicting various impacts and time frames
  3. Integrate future climate change impacts into community and government decision-making for capital, operational, and land uses

 

This plan was developed by Miami-Dade County as part of the ICLEI - Local Governments of Sustainability pilot program. Authored by members of several county offices, it emphasizes the role of the entire Miami-Dade community in achieving a sustainable future.

 

Publication Date: December 2010

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