Here's why a retired admiral thinks climate change denial hurts Florida

[Zorro]

As the year draws to a close, I couldn’t help but think back on the 2024 hurricane season. I thought not just about the devastation faced by some of our fellow Floridians, especially those on the Gulf Coast, but also our human family in the southern Appalachians. Who would have thought that brave souls in western North Carolina would still be trying to recover from Hurricane Helene in late December?

And then I thought back to earlier this year, when Florida passed a law that, in effect, removed the words “climate change” from state laws. The move came after 2023 was the hottest year on record, and 2024 is set to be even hotter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This kind of legislation is not what the good people of Florida deserve and is a failure of policy and, ultimately, leadership.

Removing the words “climate change” from state statutes reminded me of the words attributed to Galileo after he was forced to recant his belief that the Earth revolves around the sun. He is said to have uttered, “Eppur si muove,” an Italian phrase that translates to, “And yet it moves.” Our state laws might not want to acknowledge climate change, and yet it changes.

I remember a conservative think tank on the military implications of the opening of the Arctic Ocean due to a warming climate. It was a good discussion and the findings were well received, but I vividly recall one of the panel members closing remark: “Let’s remember that correlation is not causation.” His comments referred to my illustration of the significant retreat of sea ice due to warming temperatures. For me, these comments signified one of the major problems in addressing climate change — an unwillingness by some to be open to a meaningful conversation, despite the rigorous science supporting the data. Instead, they fall back on pat talking points. It also was a reminder of the influence large donors and industry-funded think tanks have on policy.

https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2024/12/27/heres-why-retired-admiral-thinks-climate-change-denial-hurts-florida-column/