Every day, from 7 a.m., Fernanda is at work under a blazing sun. Until 4 p.m., the young woman from Guatemala works in one of the nurseries that are spread all around Miami.
All day, Fernanda cuts, prunes and carries potted plants weighing several kilos. Hard physical work in normal times. But even more tiring in recent days due to the extreme temperatures hitting the southern United States, all the more so for Fernanda, who is four months pregnant.
“ This heat affects all workers, but even more pregnant women. Like me, many pregnant women are forced to carry heavy things. We ask that this abuse stop, because this heat is really difficult for pregnant women. The heat causes terrible migraines, vomiting and cramps ,” she laments.
With these increasingly frequent extremes of heat, working in the fields of the southern United States is becoming dangerous. In Florida, these workers are particularly vulnerable. Many like Fernanda are in an irregular situation, without any protection and therefore risk deportation. But the intensity of the climate crisis and the danger to their lives decided them to mobilize to demand better working conditions from their employer.
” Undocumented immigrants who work in this country deserve to be treated with dignity, as human beings,” explains Sandra, originally from El Salvador, who has worked for sixteen years in Florida nurseries. All I want is to be heard, and not be treated like an animal. We are human and we suffer from this extreme heat. This is what we are fighting for: we ask for water, shade and time to rest in our working days. »
Mobilization of environmental associations
From Miami, several environmental organizations support these undocumented workers. “ In Miami County, we have hundreds of thousands of outdoor workers. They work in agriculture, construction, gardening, and many areas that are vital to our economy ,” said Oscar Londonio, deputy director of the NGO WeCount .
“ The risk of death from extreme heat is 35% higher for them than for the rest of the population,” he continues . Many work between 8 and 10 hours a day. Without rest. Without running water. And no shaded areas. And right now, with the heat wave hitting the southern United States, we’re really worried. If we do nothing, many more outdoor workers will die. »
Fourteen people were killed by this last peak of heat in Texas. About 30 die every year in Miami. But in these conservative states in the south of the country, the political response is not yet there.
Green activists face climate skeptics
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis is even opposed to measures to limit global warming , which he calls ” leftist stuff “, much to the chagrin of local environmentalists.
“ Anyone who worries about the environment is called a ‘ woke ‘ by the governor , regrets eco-artist Xavier Cortada, whose foundation tries to raise awareness of climate change. Denying science is really what destroys the future of this planet. »
In the conservative South of the United States, many still have a hard time accepting the reality of global warming. A denial against which Adam Roberti, director of the Cortada foundation, tries to fight by distributing artistic posters illustrating the areas of Miami neighborhoods threatened by rising waters.
” It’s frightening to see how widespread this radical denial is ,” worries Adam Roberti. People repeat what they hear on Fox News. That climate change is just a communist hoax. Quite simply because they don’t want to hear about the regulations that would make it possible to fight against climate change. »
However, Florida is at the forefront of climate change, with another threat: that of rising sea levels, which could transform Miami into a vast unlivable swamp within fifty years.
