Five years ago, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties united to form the Regional Climate Change Compact, a framework for addressing climate change in the southeast Florida region. Last week, the 5th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, brought scientists, city officials, business leaders, and students together to share and collaborate on climate change initiatives.

Since CityLinks was a sponsor of the Summit, Jessica Cho and I attended the event on November 7th and 8th at the Broward County Convention Center and were amazed by the enthusiasm and commitment from government leaders and citizens young and old to protect their region from the hazardous effects of climate change. One eleven-year old attendee in particular, Peyton Robertson, developed a device that could revolutionize how we prepare for hurricanes and flooding in the future.

Composed of liquid polymer, the sand-less sandbag only expands in water, and weighs just one or two pounds when dry. Remarkably light, the sandbags could easily be distributed to vulnerable areas during storms. Peyton was named the winner of the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for his invention, which experts believe could save lives and property in the future.

A native to Fort Lauderdale, Peyton experienced the devastating aftermath from last year’s Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Wilma in 2005. “Superstorm Sandy really made me think about how people can prepare for floods,” says the 6th grader. Peyton was recognized at the Summit for his contribution and is now in the process of obtaining a patent to secure the sand-less sandbag.

For more information about the Summit, visit the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact webpage, and check our CityLinks website for an upcoming article. For additional resources relating to climate change, please join our Climate Preparedness, Adaptation, and Resilience group on the Knowledge Network.