What is going on here?
The state of Florida in the US recently told the publishers of public school science textbooks to remove references to climate change. It’s the latest in a long line of climate denial by the Governor of Florida. It comes even as the state is experiencing record-breaking weather events directly tied to the impacts of the climate emergency.
What does this mean?
The state asked one publisher to add references where “human activity” was cited as a cause of climate chaos. NASA has a great overview in case you were wondering. In another, a 90-page section on climate change was removed from a high school textbook and the phrase was entirely removed from middle school textbooks.
The restriction follows the signing of a bill in May where the Governor of Florida officially removed the words “climate change” from the State’s laws. This overturned decades of state policy and harmed the state’s ability to support a transition to a low-carbon economy through measures like funding for renewable energy projects.
Why should we care?
Florida is a state on the front lines of the climate crisis. Increasing thunderstorms and torrential rains recently caused a flooding emergency which will likely cost the state over USD $1 billion. The price tag of recovering from climate events is snowballing year-over-year which is tracked by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Florida is located right in the heart of hurricane territory. It’s experiencing more and more severe hurricanes, due to increasing ocean temperatures leading to increased water vapour in the atmosphere. All of these extremes are further heightened as our world gets warmer. The southernmost state, Florida has seen triple digit (f) heat earlier and earlier each year.
The Florida Governor is one of America’s loudest and most active politicians to deny climate change and block efforts to address the crisis. This same Governor who denies climate change is also having to declare a state of emergency to access funds to address its impacts. The irony has not gone unnoticed by the media and Florida’s few Democrats.
Be curious!
- It’s an election year! Want to ensure the government addresses the climate crisis? Put your vote to work – make sure you are registered.
- Florida is one of the states most impacted by the Insurance Crisis in the US which we talk about here.
- It’s hot out there. Read up on some ideas to beat the heat.
- Not all red-states embrace denial of climate change. Read up on the weatherman who emphasises climate science in his broadcasts.
Featured image by Wade Austin Ellis via Unsplash.
