It seems unlikely that anyone could save Florida from the worst effects of climate change. Florida is the state most at risk from sea level rise, which is predicted to fully submerge its low-lying barrier islands and wetlands within this century, making much of the lower southern half of the state uninhabitable.
Due to the current political makeup of the state, which has wingnut Republican Rick Scott as governor with a majority Republican state legislature to back him up, there has been no action to deal with rising sea levels or address climate change.
It wasn't always this way. When the state's previous governor, Charlie Crist, was in office from 2007 to 2011, he was known as a Republican climate crusader with a record that even Florida environmentalists could find little to fault.
When Charlie Crist had been in the Florida governor's mansion for only one year, he held
a two-day climate summit that he wrapped up by signing three sweeping eco-executive orders.
His plans include adopting California’s strict vehicle-emissions law, making Florida the first Southeast state to go that route; calling for a 40 percent reduction in statewide greenhouse-gas emissions by 2025; and requiring state agencies to prioritize fuel efficiency when buying or renting vehicles and to hold events in facilities certified as green by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Crist is also asking state utilities to produce 20 percent of their power from renewables, and creating a Florida Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change.
Whew! An ambitious climate agenda, especially coming from a Republican. In early 2008
Grist had an interview with then-Florida governor Charlie Crist. Below the fold are some excerpts:
Charlie Crist
Climate change and green job development are two issues you’ve emphasized as governor. Why?
To save the planet. It’s that simple, it’s that important to me. I feel a sense of duty and stewardship to do everything I can. I’ve been given this great blessing to be the governor of this magnificent state. I didn’t get elected to mark time, I got elected to make a difference, and I think this is one of the most important issues of our time. We have an opportunity to do what’s right to protect God’s work.
In your 2006 campaign for governor, environmentalists backed your opponent. Now they’re calling you one of the most important climate leaders in the nation. Would you say you’ve had a “conversion moment” in the last couple years on climate change?
Probably on climate change, yeah, but certainly not on the environment. As a young state senator back in the early ’90s, I sponsored a net ban in Florida to protect our fishery stock. I sponsored a bill to have propeller guards on outboard motors to protect manatees and dolphins.
The climate-change issue, specifically, is one that I’ve tried to learn a great deal about in the past few years, and that’s led me to where I am today.
Have you heard much from your constituents about climate change? Do you think Floridians are more worried about the problem than folks in other parts of the country?
That’s probable. Look at us: we’re this giant peninsula that sticks out between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s obvious to me, and I think most Floridians, that we’re the state that is the most susceptible to climate change, particularly rising sea levels. That creates an even greater sense of urgency for me.{...}
But it really goes back to Teddy Roosevelt for me, as a Republican — here was a guy 100 years ago who understood the importance of conservation: protecting the environment, establishing our national park system. He’s a hero to me. Robert Kennedy Jr. is a hero to me, and so is Teddy Roosevelt IV, who carries on the tradition of his family.
Environmentalists applauded your support of the Florida utilities commission when it rejected a big, new coal-burning power plant this summer. What’s your position on coal, both traditional coal and so-called “clean coal”?
I’m not a fan [laughs], just to put it lightly.
Frank Jackalone, Florida staff director for the Sierra Club, says Crist was “strong on several environmental issues.” A
partial list of his accomplishments:
- Stopping construction of new coal plants. “He did an extraordinary thing in guiding the state Public Service Commission [PSC] in rejecting new coal-fired plants,” says Jackalone. Crist appointees rejected six proposed coal plants. “Environmentalists were gearing up for a big battle, and it was short-lived because of Crist’s intervention.” (In reaction, the state legislature gave itself more control over the PSC.)
- Using executive orders to require energy savings from state agencies and set energy-efficiency standards for new buildings.
- Making a deal with U.S. Sugar to buy a wide swath of the Everglades, to be set aside for restoration. (The deal fell apart as the economic crisis of 2008/2009 made it impossible to finance.)
Charlie Crist is the former Florida governor who put solar panels on the governor's mansion and who lists Robert Kennedy Jr. as one of his personal heroes. As a newly minted Democrat, he is challenging current Republican Rick Scott to regain his former residence in the Florida governor's mansion in 2014.
It's early, but the polls are looking good for Crist. Action on climate change in the next few years means literally life or death for Florida and for our civilization, really.
Climate scientist Micheal E. Mann recently commented in Darksyde's diary The Hockey Stick rides again :
Florida coast (27+ / 0-)
Lenny/Desert: we still have time to limit the overall warming to under 2C (3.5F) and avert the worst impacts of climate change. Most likely, we can keep sea level rise to just a couple feet if we take actions to significantly reduce our global greenhouse gas emissions now. That would still be a problem for our coastlines (Miami, NYC, etc) but it would be within our capacity to take adaptive measures (i.e. building coastal fortifications, etc)...
by MichaelEMann on Sun Nov 17, 2013 at 06:35:48 AM PST
The window of opportunity for action on climate change is rapidly closing.