Climate change is an international problem but its impact can already be felt more intensely in certain areas. This is particularly true in locations that are warm and coastal, which are more susceptible to the effects of increased temperatures, rising sea levels, worsening tropical storm systems and erosion. Florida is one such example, and author Lily Brooks-Dalton explores the potential future of the climate disaster for the state's residents in her novel The Light Pirate.

As the world's oceans grow warmer and rainfall escalates, storms are able to form from greater potential energy, resulting in more intense weather systems. Florida's unique geographical location — between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean — puts it in the direct path of tropical storms that sweep across the area. It has been hit by more than 40% of all hurricanes to land on US soil, more than any other state. And as the region has logged hurricane activity considered to be above normal ...