Observation of an Expat: Florida – The Submersible State

Hurricanes are only part of Florida’s climate change problem.

That is not to in anyway minimise the dangers of extreme weather. Hurricane Helene is estimated to cost up to $47.5 billion and 227 lives. Milton, which struck only 22 days later has so far taken 11 lives and left three million people without power.

But more insidious is the impact rising sea levels are having on what has been nicknamed “The Sunshine State.”

One of the most significant consequences of global warming is melting polar ice caps. This is expected to raise sea levels globally by up to three feet by the end of this century. But tides and currents in the Gulf of Mexico mean that the sea levels around Florida could go up by six feet and four feet by the half century mark.

This means visitors to Miami’s popular South Beach would require snorkels at the very least. In fact Miami as a whole would be in danger as most of it is less than six feet above sea level.

It is not just the beaches that are in danger. The rising sea levels have caused salt water to flood fresh water aquifers. This has affected the state’s drinking water supplies and water needed for agriculture, which, after tourism, is Florida’s biggest industry. The everglades could easily become the saltglades with all the consequential damage to wildlife that such a name change implies.

Florida’s Governor Ron de Santis is a climate change sceptic. He does not believe that fossil fuels are responsible for global warming. But, to give him credit, he does accept the proof of his own eyes that rising sea levels are threatening his paradise state, and he is dealing with it.

Miami’s South Beach, for instance, has invested in a sea wall, pumping stations and elevated roads. The South Florida Water Management District has outlined a $2.5 billion plan to upgrade infrastructure including the installation of pumps and key floodgates. Miami has plans to spend $3.8 billion on storm water management systems.

Even Disneyworld, which is 20 miles inland, is worried and is implementing an improved drainage system to mitigate flooding risks.

So, the governor is dealing with the consequences of climate change but refuses to acknowledge that burning fossil fuels and other carbon emissions are the cause of the problem which costs him dearly. Nor does he support policies to limit carbon emissions. Environmental regulations, says de Santis, hamper business development and investment. Climatologists, in de Santis-speak, are “gloom and doom” merchants.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and as Hurricane Milton was threatening, de Santis refused to speak with either President Biden or Kamala Harris about federal help for the evacuation and the hurricanes’ aftermath. He said the president’s efforts to coordinate aid efforts was politicking.

But the Florida governor was not as bad as Donald Trump. He falsely claimed that money set aside for disaster relief had been “stolen” by Biden and Harris to pay for housing “illegal immigrants.” This is despite the fact that the Republican governors of the affected states praised Biden’s fast and efficient response to the hurricanes.

Trump’s lies had real consequences for real people. According to the Mayor of the hard hit North Carolina town of Asheville, some residents believe Trump’s lies and are refusing to accept an emergency no-strings attached $750 government handout for food supplies. This is because they have been told by Trump that they have to pay it back.

Trump’s lies, however, have been topped by Marjorie Greene Taylor’s latest conspiracy theory. According to the Georgia Congresswoman, the government created Hurricane Helene and controlled its path so that it only struck Republican-dominated communities.

 

* Tom Arms is foreign editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and author of “The Encyclopaedia of the Cold War” and “America Made in Britain".

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5 Comments

  • Steve Trevethan 12th Oct '24 - 11:29am

    Thank you for your so relevant article!

    Does “Critical Thinking” feature significantly in the American educational system?

  • Actually, critical thinking has come under attack from conservatves.

  • Steve Trevethan 12th Oct '24 - 6:31pm

    Thank you!

    In the U K, might we have a similar educational and citizenship preparation deficit?

    Might the L D party do something about it?

  • Mary Fulton 12th Oct '24 - 9:01pm

    @Steve Trevethan
    I can’t answer your question with regards to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but almost all secondary pupils in Scotland will study Modern Studies for a couple of years which teaches about democracy, political structures, voting systems etc in addition to covering social issues and international topics. My teenage kids were able to vote in Scottish elections once they turned 16 and, to be honest, they probably knew more about politics than me at the time…

  • Steve Trevethan 13th Oct '24 - 7:56am

    Thanks to Mary Fulton!

    Appreciation of the Scottish Qualification Authority expressed!

    “Raising Critical Thinkers” by Julie Bogart is an American book of wide applicability. It is thought provoking as well as entertaining.

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