Global warming may seem like an abstract problem: Some day, the earth will warm, the oceans will rise and the weather will change. But each one of us will feel global warming's effects, if in different ways. It will hit us all where we live.

The following pages take global warming from the abstract to the specific, showing how it will affect one of America's most populous, prosperous and resource-rich states. Climate change is bringing big alterations to Florida's landscape, and big costs with it -- especially for coastal communities. Global warming may wreak havoc on coastal properties, on the tourism industry, on Florida's natural treasures, and on citrus growers and other crop farmers.

Floridians in different professions and different age groups, with various hobbies and from various walks of life are all facing a profoundly different Sunshine State. For some, the changes will be more direct and more keenly felt. For a few, they could turn out to be matters of life and death. Take a look, and see how.

Based on FEELING THE HEAT IN FLORIDA: Global Warming on the Local Level, an October 2001 report by the Florida Climate Alliance and the Natural Resources Defense Council.