Annual Climate Conference at USF Sarasota-Manatee campus 

The conference will focus on the threats posed by rising global temperatures, rising seas and extreme weather events; and how climate action can stimulate the climate economy.

Co-sponsored by USF’S Sarasota-Manatee campus, the conference will feature presentations and discussions by acclaimed CAC scientists, academic experts, business leaders and government officials. Featured speakers include Bob Bunting, CEO of the CAC; Kenneth Lacovara, a paleontologist and geologist at Rowan University; and former U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who will speak on Miami’s experience dealing with climate threats.”

Conference attendees will learn about the threat we face and the pathways to action in an engaging inclusive day designed to move our area forward with adaptation and mitigation strategies to protect the Florida way of life,” Bunting said.

The conference’s morning session, “The Triple Threat of Water in a Warming Climate,” will focus on threats directly related to rising global temperatures and rising sea levels; bigger storm surges on top of rising sea levels, like those associated with Hurricane Ian last September; and a rising number of extreme precipitation and flooding events.

The afternoon session, “The Emergence of the Climate Economy,” will feature speakers and panelists who will provide an understanding of how climate action can drive sound economic and growth objectives for the Suncoast. Discussions will include the roles of academia, governments, the private sector and philanthropy in stimulating the climate economy.

Conference title sponsors are the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation and Tommy’s Express Carwash. Other co-sponsors include Sarasota Magazine, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Climate First Bank, Best Weather Inc., Cumberland Advisors and Triangle Ranch.

The Climate Adaptation Center, Inc. (CAC), founded in 2019, is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Sarasota. Its mission is to bridge the gap between the latest scientific research and the public’s understanding of the changing climate and how it impacts where the public lives.

For more information, visit the CAC website. 

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The University of South Florida is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News and World Report’s national university rankings than USF. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, USF is designated as a Preeminent State Research University by the Florida Board of Governors, placing it in the most elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF has earned widespread national recognition for its success graduating under-represented minority and limited-income students at rates equal to or higher than white and higher income students. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.