Hurricane Ian has left a path of devastation in its wake as it barrels over the Caribbean and the US. 62 people have already died as a result of the hurricane, and more are anticipated. It has revealed how many politicians, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have failed to make any significant progress against climate change.
Global warming is causing an increase in hurricane damage over time, but politicians like DeSantis keep ignoring this pressing problem. Together with stronger hurricanes, coastal flooding brought on by rising sea levels has the potential to do far more havoc than a hurricane itself. This means that a hurricane can still pose a serious threat even if it misses making landfall because of the significant flooding and storm surge it might cause.
Americans are increasingly advocating for tougher action on climate change policy in response to these disastrous weather disasters. According to recent polls, the vast majority of Americans think that the government should put policies that cut carbon emissions first and support renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. But, Governor DeSantis refuses to acknowledge the gravity of the climate catastrophe or propose any substantial policies to solve it in spite of this overwhelming need for action.
In fact, Governor DeSantis deliberately pushed back environmental laws since entering office in 2018 to advance business interests. While sanctioning fracking projects along Florida’s beaches, he has destroyed state agencies responsible for safeguarding water quality and natural resources, endangering human health and safety due to toxic waste runoff into our waterways.
It is obvious that Governor DeSantis is failing Floridians by neglecting to take significant action to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as those brought on by Hurricanes Irma. Instead of continuing to do favors for their corporate buddies at our expense, our state needs elected representatives who will take aggressive action to tackle climate change before more lives are lost as a result of disastrous storms like Hurricane Ian.
