http://www.sierraclubfloridanews.org/ Oil is obsolete, and oil is as serious a contributor to climate change as coal. The solution to pollution, both smog and greenhouse gases, is zero emission vehicles: electric passenger vehicles, transit buses, walking and biking. Our campaign's goal is educate and advocate for electrification of transit fleets, growing transit access, removing barriers to EV o
wnership, and making our dangerous streets safer for people to walk and ride their bikes on. In Florida, the state's most dangerous ozone levels occur most frequently, especially Hillsborough County, due to the almost total lack of transportation alternatives in the region. Ozone created in Hillsborough and other northern counties blows into Pinellas, Sarasota and Manatee Counties- Siesta Key in particular. This put these residents at greater risk than their neighbors in counties where more smog is generated. The effect of ozone on human health has been compared to a sunburn on the inside of one's lungs and is extremely harmful if inhaled. Smog is worse in the summertime because sunlight and hot weather accelerate its formation. Those who are most vulnerable- children and the elderly- are advised to stay indoors on bad air days to avoid unhealthy levels. Despite such inconvenient precautions for Florida families, 211,552 children in Florida are afflicted with asthma. The primary source of regional ozone is automobiles. Florida is FAR behind most other populous states when it comes to inner-city mass transit, commuter rail, and rapid buses. This dependence on automobiles keeps Florida addicted to oil and vulnerable to those who advocate for expanding offshore oil drilling, which jeopardize Florida's economic and environmental interests.
