Despite decades of warnings from top scientists around world, Florida’s plan for climate change does not address the problem. It focuses on spending money to adapt to rising seas rather than cutting emissions that cause them. In fact, bills have been passed in Florida that go against these goals.
One cannot be done without the other. You can’t do one without another, which can lead to negating the impact. Jonathan Webber, deputy director at Florida Conservation Voters, said that it is a job insufficient.
Recent exchanges between two state representatives regarding the future Florida’s Chief Resilence Officer, the person responsible for responding to climate change, highlights the dissonance.
Just moments before the unanimous passage of a bill to create an office and staff to assist the states resilience officer, Rep. Ben Diamond (a Democrat representing St. Petersburg) suggested an amendment that would also ask CRO to investigate the best ways to reduce state emissions.
Climate experts warn that if the world does not stop emitting greenhouse gases rapidly, it could destroy its chances of keeping global warming under control.
He said that unless we were charging our CRO to develop policies on how we will turn the tide around these problems, this is not how we tackle this issue head-on.
Demi Busatta Cabrera (Miami-Dade Republican Representative), was the bill sponsor and he rejected the Diamonds amendment.
It doesn’t address real issues, and I refuse the temptation to politicize this issue. Floridians don’t care about political points. They don’t care what words we use. They care about taking action. They care about real results and the bill is a good example of that. She claimed that the bill would prevent them from getting real results.
The bill passed without an amendment, but with the Diamonds vote. According to the Miami Herald, he was not surprised by the outcome. He has been a proponent of bills to create a climate taskforce to study the effects of climate change on the state. Other Democrats have also pushed for bills to force the state to switch to renewable energy and stop burning fossil fuels. None of these bills have ever been heard by any committee.
He explained that the problem is much more serious than adapting and flooding. We can’t adapt to climate change.
Flood protection vs. Flood protection vs.
Florida’s legislature last addressed climate change greenhouse gas emissions in its root cause in a law that effectively prevented cities from cutting their emissions.
Florida passed a law that was written last year by natural gas companies. This law prevented cities from banning natural-gas use. This policy is part of a nationwide effort to reduce carbon emissions. Natural gas, which accounts for about 70% of the state’s fuel at power plants, is also used in some homes to heat and cook. It is made from methane gas which heats the atmosphere more than carbon dioxide.
Keep up with Tampa Bay’s top headlines
Subscribe to the DayStarter newsletter
We deliver the most recent news and information every weekday morning.
The new law impedes cities’ ability to achieve their goals to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050. This is a goal set by the United Nations in order to avoid the worst effects of global climate change.
Florida has largely ignored climate change mitigation. However, the state has recently allocated hundreds of millions to local governments to help them make the necessary upgrades to withstand rising seas.
Florida has given more than $670million in federal and state funds to cities over the past few months to improve roads, floodproof buildings, and convert leaking septic tanks into sewer pipes.
None of the money is used for projects that promote renewable energy, building efficiency, or other methods to reduce emissions. Gov. Ron DeSantis denied that such policies were left-wing in a press conference that announced the first wave state funding.
He said that when people talk about global warming, they use it as a pretext for doing a bunch of left-wing activities that they would like to do anyway.
The second press conference, where a Miami HeraldReporter asked DeSantis what state plans were to address greenhouse gasses. He did not respond.
Instead, he spoke of how hurricanes have always been a problem for Florida. He said that we are not going to be able stop being vulnerable. We are going to take back what Mother Nature has for us.
Three years, three chief resilience officers
The governor’s office didn’t respond to questions about the state’s climate change efforts or make Wesley Brooks (a former staffer to Sen. Marco Rubio) available for an interview. Brooks has not been interviewed by any media outlet since November, when he was appointed.
Julia Nesheiwat was Florida’s first chief resilient officer when DeSantis became president. Nesheiwat produced a report in the six months she was there that highlighted the need for more funding from the state for local drainage projects. But it did not mention emissions.
After Nesheiwat had left in early 2020, the position went to the head of Department of Environmental Protection until Brooks was renamed in November.
The governors’ thinking on this topic is exemplified by the CRO position. Webber said that Webber isn’t taking it seriously. It’s a half-baked idea at best. The Legislature is trying to flesh it all out, leaving out the most important component of resilience.
This story was created in partnership with Florida Climate Reporting Network. A multi-newsroom initiative, it was started by the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Palm Beach Post, The Palm Beach Post, The Orlando Sentinel. WLRN Public Media. The Tampa Bay Times.