How Tarpon Springs is preparing for climate change
TARPON SPRINGS — A small city threatened on two sides by water has taken an important early step in the fight against climate change.
Last week, Tarpon Springs officially formed a citizen-led sustainability advisory committee, which will help city officials make a comprehensive climate change plan. Although other cities have similar groups, Tarpon Springs’ will have a unique challenge in combatting the threats posed to a historic city in an age of rising seas.
Dory Larsen, who led the citizen-driven push to form the group, said she hopes the committee can establish concrete goals and priorities for the city. An employee of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Larsen will be an inaugural member.
Susan Glickman, who has worked in the Florida climate change space for decades and is a colleague of Larsen’s at the Alliance for Clean Energy, said the advisory committee will help the city evaluate its needs.
“Before you start a diet, you have to step on a scale,” Glickman said. “They need to get a clear sense of where they are as a community.”