On July 12 and 13, 2007, Governor Charlie Crist hosted “Serve to Preserve: A Florida Summit on Global Climate Change.”
The summit brought together leaders of business, government, science and advocacy to examine the risks of global climate change to Florida, and the nation, and to explore the business opportunities that can come from an aggressive response to climate change. At the conclusion of the summit, Governor Crist signed three Executive Orders and two international partnership agreements, adding Florida to the states actively working to address global climate change.
The three executive orders set out goals and directives for the state.
- Executive Order 07-126 directed state government to lead by example by quantifying operational emissions and meeting specific reduction targets; implementing a range of greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts that impact state government facilities and vehicle fleets; and using the purchasing power of state government to promote energy efficiency and reduced emissions.
- Executive Order 07-127 established reduction targets for the emissions of greenhouse gases in Florida as follows: by 2017 reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 2000 levels, by 2025 reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels, and by 2050 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent of 1990 levels. It further directed a 15 percent increase in the energy efficiency performance of the 2007 Florida Energy Code for Building Construction. It requested the Public Service Commission adopt a 20 percent renewable portfolio standard and adopt a net metering and interconnection policy.
- The final Executive Order 07-128 established the Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change and tasked it with creating a comprehensive Florida Energy and Climate Change Action Plan.
Florida Energy – Action Team
The Action Team is comprised of 21 members, representing a vast range of public and private sector organizations and citizen interest groups. Phase 1 of the Governor’s Action Team was completed on November 1, 2007 and resulted in 30 recommendations to improve Florida’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) was asked to help facilitate and provide technical support for Phase 2 of the Action Team process. CCS is working closely with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection during the Phase 2 process ran from January 2008 until the final report was completed and delivered to the Governor on October 15, 2008.
CCS used a stakeholder-based consensus building process to develop a set of state-level policy recommendations for reducing or sequestering greenhouse gas emissions. The process also identifies opportunities to promote energy-efficient technologies and clean, renewable energy resources that will enhance economic growth. This set of policy recommendations helped form the basis for Florida’s comprehensive Energy and Climate Change Action Plan. The Memorandum of Agreement between CCS and the Department of Environmental Protection lays out CCS’s role in the process.
Click on the Background button (at left) to learn more about the science and impacts of global climate change, the Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change (the Climate Action Team), how its six technical work groups provided input to the group’s decision-making process; and, how the stakeholder process itself proceeded.