Florida’s southwest coast is what some call paradise: miles of white sandy beaches, turquoise water, mansions lining the shore.
It’s also a staunchly Republican part of the state, and one that is seeing the effects of climate change: Mangroves and coral reefs are dying. Oyster stocks are vanishing. Daily tides increasingly turn into floods.
For decades, American conservatives have made denying the threat of climate change a core political belief. In Southwest Florida, a conversation is beginning to happen, even if people don’t want to admit the cause.
Commissioned by The Weather Channel.