An Interesting Editorial...

...out of Tallahassee:

land-use policies, in which local decision makers have a direct hand, affect local climates, as decades of filling in Florida's wetlands has proved. And policies that promote sprawl and discourage alternative transportation options result in increased carbon emissions.

University of Florida botanist Stephen Mulkey, former science adviser to the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida, said in his final report that with Florida's population expected to grow by 50 percent over the next 25 years, "Urban development, suburban sprawl, transportation pressures, coastal human population densities, habitat fragmentation, and reduced agricultural and forest lands will be the inevitable result of this population increase unless growth is managed wisely with attention to enhancing sustainability."

Citizens have an important role to play - for instance, by considering other ways to get around besides driving alone, insisting on more responsible land-use legislation, and recycling more at home and in the workplace.