South Florida
The works in this gallery respond to research conducted in South Florida on the adverse impacts of climate change on orange and mango groves. In early to mid-20th century, Florida provided the rest of the country with most of its mangos, developing new varieties that are unique to this region of the world. However, the number of mango farms in South Florida have been steadily decreasing over the last fifty years. Hurricanes have increased in intensity due to climate change, regularly decimating groves that never replant. Globalization has also impacted the trade, as mangoes are imported in from Mexico at a fraction of the price.
Similarly, the citrus industry has see over an 80% decline in productivity since 2005 due to citrus greening disease caused by a bacterium carried by small insects. Infected trees produce small, dry pieces of fruit, and the tree eventually dies. The bacteria that cause Citrus Greening Disease thrives in temperatures between 60 and 90 degrees and the warming climate is creating longer stretches of those temperatures. This drawing captures the impact that climate change is having on Florida agriculture and the livelihoods of those who work in that industry.