Florida, known for taking words out of books, has now removed the term “climate change” from its statutes.
The bill has drawn an uproar from Washington’s Democrats with White House press Secretary Karien Jean-Pierre calling it “shameful”.
Florida’s Average Yearly Highs Are Second Only to Hawaii
The legislation was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis who also made remarks about the move saying: “The legislation I signed today… will keep windmills off our beaches, gas in our tanks, and China out of our state.”
“We’re restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots.”
Critics find the move alarming since Florida’s average yearly highs are second only to Hawaii.
‘Protecting Profits of the Fossil Fuel Industry’
Yoca Arditi-Rocha executive director of the nonprofit Cleo Institute weighed in on the matter saying:
“This purposeful act of cognitive dissonance is proof that the governor and state legislature are not acting in the best interests of Floridians, but rather to protect profits for the fossil fuel industry.”
DeSantis’s reprioritization comes one year after the aptly named Sunshine State experienced an all-time high. In the summer of 2023, temperatures soared to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
The historical heat wave grabbed the attention of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Addressing the impact of climate change on Florida’s fishing industry, he claimed that the waters around America’s panhandle had reached “hot-tub” levels chasing the sea life away from the state’s shores.
‘Dire Consequences of the Climate Crisis Are Evident’
The decision has since drawn backlash from the White House. When press secretary Karien Jean-Pierre was questioned about DeSantis’s decision she remarked that it was “pretty shameful” and noted that there is “a lot more work that we need to do” regarding climate change.
Frederica Wilson who is part of the Florida delegation in Congress also weighed in saying “Climate change is an indisputable fact, not a topic open for debate.”
“The dire consequences of the climate crisis are evident every day in Florida, and attempts to undermine efforts to combat this existential threat are utterly reckless and irresponsible.”
Species Are Going Extinct
Of the state’s nearly 20 million residents, 15 million live near the coast and the threat to marine life is even more evident.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found the effects of growing summer temperatures along the nearby 255-mile barrier reef and on its resident stingrays, sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, and numerous other fish species.
The organization also found that the local endangered staghorn coral had dwindled to less than 22% of its original population (1,500).
According to Robert Reich, former President Bill Clinton’s labor secretary, Florida is currently dealing with another record high.
‘Culture Wars Isn’t Going To Protect Floridians’
Reich took to X (formerly Twitter) and said: “Since 1980, there have been 87 weather/climate disaster events in Florida with losses exceeding $1 billion each.”
“Tapping into the culture wars isn’t going to protect Floridians from the harsh realities of climate change.”
The development created a stir among the netizens too, with sentiments flowing both ways.
“It was so very encouraging to see you signing legislation to erase the term ‘Climate Change’ from Florida state law,” wrote @nogps1.
“Don’t Say Climate Change is a pretty dumb policy for a state that’s about to sink into the ocean but look at who’s in charge of Florida,” quipped @CarlosGSmith who is obviously not a fan.
Don’t Say ‘Climate Change’
The bill named Florida HB 1645 removes the phrase “climate change” from the state’s legislature pertaining to fossil fuels and energy and in so doing, makes it less of a priority.
The original legislature surrounding energy was initially signed into place in 2008. At the time the bill promoting the use of renewable energy in Florida was agreed upon unanimously.
According to WPTV, the new amendment removes the word “climate” nine times and “climate change” four times.
The “Hoax” Invented by China
DeSantis, who at the beginning of 2024 dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump, seems to share the former president’s ideas on climate change.
Trump was quoted when taking the denial to new heights in 2019 when he claimed that the disruptive weather phenomenon was a “hoax” invented by China.
