Charlie Crist is the first Florida governor to talk about global climate change in his State of the State address.

He told lawmakers it's "one of the most important issues we will face this century"…especially in low-lying Florida.

“With almost 12-hundred miles of coastlines, and a majority of our citizens living near that coastline, Florida is more vulnerable to rising ocean levels and violent weather patterns than any other state. Yet we’ve done little to understand and address the root causes of this problem, or frankly even acknowledge that the problem even exists. No longer.”

Crist said he would call a special summit of experts after the legislative session to study how Florida can respond to what he called this "monumental challenge."

He also greatly expanded the call to make alternative energy a priority, asking the Legislature for 68-million-dollars in incentives for ethanol and bio-diesel projects.