Florida International University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

• The Sea Level Solutions Center (SLSC) is part of the Institute of Environment's Coastlines and Oceans Division and was created to address the emerging need for an organizational mechanism to develop useful and sustained sea level and other climate change-related responses for both the human and natural environments. The SLSC coordinates and engages in local to global solutions-oriented research, education, strategic thinking, communications, and outreach by organizing top scientists, educators, students, municipal leaders, and policymakers to produce an accurate understanding of impacts of sea level rise and climate change. Highlights of the SLSC’s local engagement:
  
  
  
  • The Resilient305 Collaborative, a joint academic-government research partnership among Florida International University, Miami-Dade College, University of Miami, and government and non-government organization (NGO) leaders of Greater Miami & the Beaches. 
  
  
  • Through a grant from Miami-Dade County, the SLSC runs an accelerated environmental education initiative to promote stewardship among local residents and businesses. The team at the Institute of Environment works directly with communities, linking top scientists, educators, students, and municipal leaders to develop sustainable solutions.
  
  
  
  

FIU has also engaged local governments on the following issues which promote sustainability:

• Alternative modes of transportation to campus including increased bicycle lanes and public transit stops on campus.


• Support of and implementation of increased tree canopies in urban communities.


• Engaged the local community in developing management strategies for the construction and operation of the International Center for Tropical Botany at The Kampong.


• With a campus located along Biscayne Bay, FIU leads research on bay health and is a member of the Biscayne Bay Task Force. FIU scientists were part of and contributed data to the county-directed task force to inform future policies and initiatives related to issues affecting residents and property owners.


• As part of an MOU with North Bay Village, FIU is assisting in the development of sustainability initiatives including solutions for Biscayne Bay.

• As a member of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact (Compact), FIU researchers work with counties to develop science-based plans to adapt to climate change. The Compact is a partnership between regional counties to reduce GHG emissions, implement adaptation strategies and build climate resilience.


• As part of FIU’s work in the Florida Everglades, FIU hosts the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program for the Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE). The FCE LTER program works with local, state and national government agencies including the General Council of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, South Florida Water Management District, National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 


• FIU is a member of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, which was established by the United States Congress and includes seven federal, two Tribal, and five state and local government representatives at the senior leadership level. The Task Force facilitates the coordination of conservation, restoration, and scientific/research efforts being planned and implemented in the South Florida ecosystem. 


• The South Florida and Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (SFC CESU), which is hosted by FIU's Institute of Environment, was created by the federal government under the leadership of the Department of the Interior to provide assistance to federal land managers and environmental and research agencies. The region includes South Florida (Everglades, Florida Bay, Ten Thousand Islands area, Biscayne Bay), the Florida Keys from the Dry Tortugas to West Palm Beach, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

• Led by the university’s Department of Government and Community Affairs, FIU in DC is an integrated advocacy approach to increase the national reputation of, and federal support for, our preeminent research areas, faculty, and student advocates. The team works with the White House, Congress, federal agencies, and national organizations to advocate for the university’s priorities. An example of FIU in DC's public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level was their recommendation for Congress to:
  
  
  
  • Encourage the Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with several federal agencies, to implement a research program and appoint an interagency lead to address the challenges facing the country's most vulnerable regions affected by water scarcity and the need to sustain both current populations and economic growth while preserving the environment.
  
  
  
  


• FIU was one of the universities that helped coordinate the Campus and Community-Scale Climate Solutions program in collaboration with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the University of Washington and the University of the District of Columbia. The program revolved around four main themes: making campuses more sustainable, educating students to lead climate-smart industries, universities serving as a proving ground for climate change solutions and successfully working with local communities. 

• FIU in DC advocated for sustainability at the international level by recommending that Congress:
  
  
  
  • Direct the Department of Defense and U.S. African Command to develop a West African water security program that integrates the capabilities and resources of the unified combatant command with academic institutions, particularly those with existing engagements and strengths in the region.
  
  
  
  


• FIU in DC participated in the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles in June 2022. The theme of the conference was “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future.” The team highlighted FIU’s relevant expertise in such areas as water sustainability, species conservation in the Amazon, and wildlife trafficking intervention.


• FIU is a member of the Global Council for Science and the Environment, an organization that provides resources and opportunities for higher education leaders and their partners in transdisciplinary environmental and sustainability education and research (TESER) to work across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and from local to global scales.


• FIU has established a UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Water Security at the Institute of Environment. The Chair focuses efforts in advancing the knowledge needed to address complex water security issues, both locally and globally, through interdisciplinary research, education, capacity building and public engagement, by linking academics, students, researchers and water professionals with local, regional, and international programs and stakeholders to foster water sustainability.


• The Institute of Environment's International Program brings together academic, researcher, private, intergovernmental, governmental, and non-governmental entities in the U.S. and abroad to tackle regional, national and global water and environmental issues, through interdisciplinary research, education, capacity building and public engagement. 

FIU is recognized as the state of Florida’s University of Distinction in Environmental Resilience, as defined by the Florida Legislature, and is focused on addressing the most pressing environmental challenges we face.