Commentary: DeSantis should build on environmental record by confronting realities of climate change - Orlando Sentinel
Commentary: DeSantis should build on environmental record by confronting realities of climate change
A bill to remove most mentions of climate change from state governmental policy awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature. Conservative political strategist Mary Anna Mancuso writes that it's an opportunity for DeSantis to underline his self-described status as a "Teddy Roosevelt conservationist" by using his veto.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”