The University of Miami will be hosting the Republican debate on March 10. To date, debate moderators have yet to raise the issue of climate change for the GOP candidates to answer. There have been some softballs thrown at Marco Rubio, which accounts for just a couple of minutes of coverage.
On March 4 of 2016, 21 mayors from Miami to Tampa have publicly pleaded with debate moderators to ask questions on how the candidates will deal with sea level rise. Florida is the first state to get a kick in the shorts, but it will affect every single coastal community on the planet at some point. I believe Florida deserves a detailed explanation from all candidates on what steps they will take to prepare for the inevitable destruction, evacuation and relocation of millions of people. If the question is not asked in Miami, exactly where will this issue ever be raised?
Reuters reports:
"It would be unconscionable for these issues of grave concern for the people of Florida to not be addressed in the upcoming debate you will be hosting in the state," the mayors wrote in an letter to CNN, The Washington Post, Univision and the other media outlets hosting the Democratic and Republican debates on March 9 and March 10 in Miami.
Not one of the remaining GOP hopefuls believes that anything should be done to slow down the impacts of climate change. Not one.
Rubio has said that the climate has always been changing and that he will not support policies to combat climate change that will "destroy our economy."
Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has called climate change a conspiracy invented by China, while Texas Senator Ted Cruz called climate science "pseudoscientific theory." Ohio Governor John Kasich has said climate change is a problem but has not proposed a plan to address it.
The Weather Channel reports that Florida scientists have raised the alarm that millions of Floridians will be forced to flee rising seas, perhaps all at once.
The region that's home to thousands of high-priced homes nestled against the water is expected to be threatened directly by the rising seas in the coming decades, and when the harsh reality sets in, a mass exodus could commence. That's the warning some scientists are giving to authorities, the Globe and Mail reported.
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Here's why researchers have focused in on South Florida. More than 2.4 million people live within 4 feet of the local high-tide line, and according to Climate Central, the risk of storm surge flooding will be far higher by 2030. That's well within the time frame of many 30-year mortgages currently in place, Climate Central notes.
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Now, scientists must convince politicians that this problem is coming sooner than previously thought, and failing to develop a solution could create havoc in the Sunshine State when millions pack up and look for a place to live.
ACTION
SEIU, AFL-CIO, New Florida Majority, Miami Worker Center, iAmerica, Dream Defenders, NextGen Climate Action. docs.google.com/… Must register for this event. Click Link.
Peace Justice and Sustainability Coalition of Florida—NOTE Time for this meetup is at 6:30 not noon.