We discovered that cities affected by sea level rise in Florida hid the names of many policymakers who can mitigate the state’s climate crisis, such as Senators Marco Rubio (Marco Island) and Rick Scott (Scottsmoor). And it’s precisely them who can help stop the disappearance of these cities.
That’s why we made this climate problem personal by creating a hyper-targeted radio campaign in which each radio spot was aired in its respective city, calling out 13 Florida policymakers. We gradually removed letters from Florida cities to represent the consequences of sea level rise until we finally revealed their names — putting pressure on them to act against climate change. We also used these audios to reach them directly and amplify the message. 13 radios, 13 cities, 13 policymakers. Because saving Florida is personal. The CLEO Institute. More climate crisis, less Florida.
“Many Florida Cities Could soon Be Underwater”
USA TODAY
“Rising Seas Will Erase More Cities by 2050”
The New York Times
"Sure the climate is changing, and one of the reasons
is because the climate has always been changing."
Marco Rubio, US Senator for Florida
“The United States should not follow the path of the global warming alarmists”
Neal Dunn, Florida Representative
Florida is facing a very harsh climate crisis. But what’s even harsher is the skepticism of many Florida policymakers. We urgently needed them to listen to us, by putting pressure on them to act against climate change in a personal way.
The CLEO Institute is a Florida climate crisis organization exclusively dedicated to climate change awareness, education, advocacy, and engagement. The devastating hurricanes, the increased flooding, and rising temperatures we regularly witness in Florida underscore the importance of CLEO’s work. This climate crisis organization works with government, business, academics, and NASA, NOAA, and UCS (Union of Concerned Scientists) to advocate for long-term equitable solutions to live in a world in which all people, governments, and organizations are informed, engaged, and taking action on critical climate issues. CLEO’s top-down, bottom-up approach is helping Florida, the most vulnerable state to climate impacts, become more resilient by empowering Florida policymakers and residents to take climate action.