"Dan Gelber, the mayor of Miami Beach, Florida, says climate change will be a homeowners’ worst nightmare.
"If you own a home and you find that your roof has a problem or you find out there’s a termite infestation, you have to take care of it," he said. "That’s what climate change is. Sea level rise has created challenges that have to be addressed. For local governments, they don’t go away unless you do something about them."
That’s why Miami Beach, where frequent flooding prompted by high tides have illustrated the risks of climate change, is asking residents for the power to pump more money into environmentally-friendly sidewalks, parks, and neighborhood improvements. The $439 million bond proposal would use a fourth of the proceeds to address the effects of climate change.
Nationwide, states and local governments are asking voters to approve billions of dollars of debt for environmental projects, including those aimed at protecting against the impact of rising global temperatures."