PBS News Weekend

The tropical plant is spreading in Florida due to climate change. Mangroves are common in tropical south Florida, but as climate change makes freezing weather less common, these plants have been encroaching further north. Mangroves, which grow along the coasts in salty water and soil, can help protect shorelines from hurricanes and absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. But as mangroves move further north, they are taking over existing salt marshes, and are not seen as beneficial by everyone. NewsHour Weekend's Hari Sreenivasan traveled to Florida, where a new multi-year research project is underway studying this encroachment and looking at what's gained and lost as mangroves march north. This story is produced in partnership with Climate Central, a nonprofit science and news organization, and is part of our ongoing series, "Peril and Promise: The Challenge of Climate Change."