The Invading Sea
  • About
  • Editorials
    • Earlier opinion pieces in South Florida media about climate, rising seas
  • In the News
  • Resources
    • What You Can Do
    • Frequently Asked Questions
No Result
View All Result
The Invading Sea
  • About
  • Editorials
    • Earlier opinion pieces in South Florida media about climate, rising seas
  • In the News
  • Resources
    • What You Can Do
    • Frequently Asked Questions
No Result
View All Result
The Invading Sea
No Result
View All Result

Trump needs to understand the true importance of Greenland: its massive ice sheets must remain intact for Florida to survive

by Contributors
August 22, 2019
in Influencers
0

Now that President Trump has canceled his visit to Denmark, he should use that time to visit the melting glaciers of Greenland, which threaten vast portions of the United States and its population.

Trump is missing the point about Greenland’s importance.

What is essential about Greenland is that its storage of ice keeps our coastal cities above water. Greenland holds enough land-based ice to raise global sea levels by 25 feet.

Rafe Pomerance

With all the attention to Trump’s plan to purchase Greenland, the value of Greenland has been lost. An intact Greenland is key to the survival of Florida.

But Greenland is melting — and fast.

The Arctic is warming more than twice the rate of the rest of the globe. Greenland’s quickly disappearing glaciers pour huge amounts of freshwater into the ocean every summer. Ice loss in 2019 has been staggering. On Aug. 2, Greenland lost 12.5 billion tons of ice –the largest single-day loss recorded in history.

Florida’s political leaders should seize on Trump’s fantasy of buying Greenland to pivot to the real story here: the fate of Florida is directly linked to the fate of Greenland.

The appropriate response is for Florida to lead the world in decarbonizing the economy and ultimately stopping the warming of the planet so that Florida can survive and prosper.

The leadership of Florida and the United States remains essential to invigorate action by the rest of the world. But the U.S. has become an impediment to global cooperation to bring about a stable climate.

Trump and his administration have made the problem worse by abandoning the Paris agreement, gutting greenhouse gas regulations and embracing denialist rhetoric.

The New York Daily News remade one of its historic headlines to mock Trump for his desire to buy Greenland: “Fjord to Trump: ‘Drop Dead.’”

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s reaction to Trump’s suggestion was that it was “absurd” and a spokesperson for the Danish People’s Party, Soren Espersen, said it was “final proof he has gone mad.”

What’s absurd is that Trump is ignoring the threat to Florida. His madness is that he sees Greenland as “dream real estate deal” when the real Greenland story is that if we allow it to continue to thaw, it is going to flood Florida.

Rafe Pomerance is a Senior Fellow for Arctic Policy at Woods Hole Research Center, and Chairman of Arctic 21. He is also a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Environment.

“The Invading Sea” is a collaboration of four South Florida media organizations — the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post and WLRN Public Media.

 

Tags: Arctic 21FloridaGreenlandPresident TrumpRafe PomeranceWoods Hole Research Center
Previous Post

As climate change hits Florida agriculture, could the future be ‘carbon farming’?

Next Post

Scientists have little impact on people’s views about climate change, study shows

Related Posts

Covid-19, hurricane season and plastics – oh my!
Influencers

Recycling is not the solution to the plastic pollution crisis

by Catherine Uden
February 23, 2021
Anna Sampson: Individuals, businesses first need to calculate their carbon footprint before they can reduce it
The Business of Climate Change

Anna Sampson: Individuals, businesses first need to calculate their carbon footprint before they can reduce it

by Kevin Mims
February 22, 2021
Solar storage can be a lifesaver, particularly during hurricane season
Influencers

Lawmakers should allow Florida’s schools to install solar panels that will save them money and educate students

by Michele Drucker
February 13, 2021
Next Post
Media Roundup: Your town in 2080; money talks on Jersey Shore; investment risks; Gov. DeSantis and the environment

Scientists have little impact on people’s views about climate change, study shows

Twitter Facebook

About the Project

The Invading Sea is a collaboration by news organizations across Florida to address the threat we face from sea-level rise. We want to raise awareness, amplify the voice of our region and create a call to action that can’t be ignored. Read More

Archives

Categories

Audio Editorials Faces of Sea Level Rise Influencers In The News Other The Business of Climate Change Video

Watch How the Water Will Rise

sea level rise map
See what happens to your neighborhood as the sea level rises with this interactive map from Climate Central.

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Editorials
    • Earlier opinion pieces in South Florida media about climate, rising seas
  • In the News
  • Resources
    • What You Can Do
    • Frequently Asked Questions

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In