The Emperor Has No Clothes: Comparing South Florida Spanish-Language and Cuban Media Coverage of Sea Level Rise

• In Event: Grounding Transnational Communication Flows in Global Contexts: Emerging Research From Metropolitan Miami

Abstract

Rising sea levels threaten to transform coastlines across the globe in unprecedented manners, as established boundaries, flows and institutions are disrupted. The South Florida-Caribbean region is one among the most vulnerable in the world to impacts of sea level rise. This study seeks to better understand the ways South Florida Spanish-language media and Cuban media are engaging their audiences in dialogues relating to this issue. How are media portraying the risks associated with sea level rise, and are they offering solutions for change, or simply covering events? We give particular focus to how media from the two nations cover regional efforts to address impacts of sea level rise, and the implications for their audiences. We examine both legacy and alternative media in South Florida and Cuba, focusing on 2013-2014, when the issue gained much prominence in South Florida media, given dramatic flooding events and increased expenditures to revamp and improve infrastructure.

Authors

• Mercedes Vigón, Florida International U

• Juliet Gill Pinto, Florida International U

• Bruno Takahashi, Michigan State University

• Manuel D. Chavez, Michigan State U