Speak No Evil…Hear No Evil

Here’s some discouraging news…according to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, employees of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection claim they  were ordered to refrain from using the terms “climate change”, “global warming” or “sustainability” in official communications. Apparently the unwritten policy went into effect shortly after Gov. Rick Scott, a global warming skeptic, took office. The new Florida policy is similar to a 2012 law passed by lawmakers in North Carolina that prohibits the state from basing coastal policies on scientific predictions regarding sea level rise.

Scientists have warned that, like much of Florida’s coastline, North Carolina’s outer banks are at particular risk from climate change. But what do environmental scientists know? All they have is science and study and facts on their side while their political opponents have silence, sarcasm and like climate change denier Senator Inhofe, snowballs!

Unfortunately scientists aren’t in charge of our environment and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, while they are in charge of planning for how to try and combat what could be catastrophic sea level rise…just can’t talk about it, make reference to it or shhhhhhh…say its name.

But don’t despair! All we have to do is cut our worldwide carbon emissions by 85% so as to begin the process of reversing that unmentionable climate thing. However, since we appear do be doing exactly the opposite in our never ending frenzy to grow, grow, grow our fossil fuel production and use, better just not to buy any beach property. And tell your grandchildren to move inland or to higher ground because by the end of this century…or sooner… 80 out of 100 coastal cities in the world will be under water…

But that’s just scientists talking and they haven’t had much luck in convincing many of our political leaders that this is a serious global problem for humanity, the planet and…did I mention humanity? Probably because half of our political leaders are happy to approach the problem by covering their ears and pulling the blankets a little tighter around their ignorant and empty heads.