The Florida Republican seems unconcerned about NOAA ’ s prediction nor of the record high temperatures impacting his state , such as Key West ’ s heat index of 115 degrees Fahrenheit . He did not acknowledge that Florida , given its peninsula coastline and location in the Atlantic , remains one of the most vulnerable states to climate change in the nation .
Florida-based meteorologist and climate change reporter Steve MacLaughlin made all the links between the coming storms , climate change , and the governor ’ s policy . He cited the NOAA report and warned NBC 6 News audiences that the “ entire world is looking to Florida to lead in climate change , and our government is saying that climate change is no longer the priority it once was .”
There was a time , not too long ago when journalists and media outlets avoided any mention of climate change , even as scientists and climate activists urged them to say the words . Today , although media outlets have significantly improved coverage of the science , they tend not to explicitly draw a line between climate disasters and policy failures on the part of elected officials like DeSantis .
The Florida governor , who is waging a battle against climate justice as part of his culture wars , isn ’ t even the biggest threat to curbing climate change . He controls legislation in only one state . If Donald Trump captures the White House , the entire nation will fall even further behind in tackling the climate . Far-right shills for oil and gas companies have an ambitious battle plan in place to begin undoing the modest climate progress that the federal government has made . It ’ s called Project 2025 and is a brazen call “ to deconstruct the Administrative State ” on Day 1 of a Republican — read Trump — Presidency .
Like the hardliners who are openly articulating their doomsday plan , Trump has made no secret of where his allegiances lie , unabashedly demanding a billion dollars in campaign funding from oil and gas companies . At a nowinfamous April 2024 Mar-a-Lago dinner , Trump directly solicited financial help from fossil fuel executives in exchange for more than $ 100 billion worth of tax breaks that President Joe Biden has proposed repealing .
The grift was so clearly a quid pro quo — so openly veering on extortion — that some Senators have now launched an inquiry into Trump ’ s statements . But they can ’ t keep up . A day before the Senate action , Trump made more such offers , saying to oil company executives at a fundraiser in Houston , Texas , that he would issue “ immediate approvals for energy infrastructure ” such as “ pipelines , power plants ” if he returned to the White House . Trump raised an easy $ 25 million at that event . If he regains power , he will engage in a new ethical infraction every other day , as he did the first time around . To listen to Republicans , one might imagine that
Democrats are Big Oil ’ s worst enemy , fighting to curb climate change on behalf of the good people of Florida and the rest of the nation . But much Democratic opposition exists in the form of incentives for green energy industries , such as those built into the Inflation Reduction Act .
In terms of actually holding climate polluters accountable , other than Biden ’ s budgetary proposal to end tax breaks ( which is , after all , only a proposal ), and a pause on natural gas permits , Democratic challenges have come in the form of “ homework assignments for companies , and requests for Justice Department investigations ,” wrote Axios reporter Ben German .
Such tepid actions are not good enough , especially in the face of the overt Republican war on our climate and , by extension , our lives . The GOP may claim it wants to ban windmills on beaches , but its real agenda is handing our future over to oil and gas companies .
If the climate is to be a battleground for the GOP ’ s culture wars , and if Democrats are going to face the wrath of oil and gas companies for the most modest of limits on greenhouse gas emissions , why not go all in and actually wage their own culture and policy war to save the climate ?
Trying to capture voters who are at the center of the political spectrum has been a go-to Democratic strategy that has often ended in loss . Already centrist commentators are warning Biden to stop appealing to the left edge of his party ahead of November ’ s election .
But , growing numbers of Americans — and a majority of Democratic voters — are seeing past the media ’ s limited coverage and politicians ’ doublespeak on the climate . They are deeply worried about climate change and are critical of Biden ’ s milquetoast approach to curbing it .
Labeling parts of the political spectrum is a helpful exercise . The left edge wants to move us forward , to progress , hence the adoption of the term “ progressive .” The right flank wants to move society backward , and really ought to be dubbed “ regressive .” Meanwhile , the center is happy with the current status quo and is best defined by the term “ conservative .” Centrists want to conserve things just as they are .
On the issue of climate change , progressive policies mean a future for our children , stability for our homes and communities , and the preservation of human and other species . It literally means we have a good chance at life as a whole .
Regressive policies will lead to certain , accelerated death , broadly speaking , while conservative centrists appear to endorse a slow death . In other words , DeSantis , Trump , and their party are leading a death cult , while Biden and his party seem torn over the choice between life and death . To the rest of us , decisively choosing life is the only option .