By John Burr, Jacksonville Climate Coalition
If you live in Florida and you care about the heat, flooding and strong storms that are made worse by carbon pollution, you probably realize that your governor, Ron DeSantis, is not an ally – he’s all in on continued burning of fossil fuels.
Same for Donald Trump, who is running for president for the third time as the Republican Party candidate for president.
As the Nov. 5 national election approaches, we hear the claims that this is the most crucial election of our lifetimes. Those claims, which are heard every four years, have become standard political marketing fodder from Democrats and Republicans alike in recent elections.
Yet this year, with regard to our deteriorating climate, there is a strong argument that it’s true — we really don’t have another four years to deny, dither, delay and sidetrack a national policy to reduce carbon pollution from our cars, trucks, factories and homes.
This bedrock truth is not political. It’s climate science. Right now, the world is closing in on climate temperature tipping points that, if triggered, could tumble us all into a series of climate disruptions unlike anything yet seen.
The differences between how MAGA Republican and Democratic administrations would address these threats are day and night.
Democrats call for a continuation of massive government funding and tax incentives to grow non-polluting, sustainable energy. Electric vehicles, solar and wind power, nuclear power, hydrogen fuel, geo-thermal power and other green initiatives that promise an economic and climatic transformation across the country are moving forward.
MAGA Republicans calls these programs boondoggles and climate change a hoax, and promise to slash government incentives to reduce fossil fuel usage.
To be sure, there are reasonable ideas that moderate and young Republicans support, such as investing in research for improvements in nuclear power and developing carbon capture technologies to reduce carbon pollution.
But guess what — moderate Republicans have no standing within their MAGA-focused party.
Is the Democratic plan perfect? Of course not. Frankly, we should have started down the sustainable energy road years before we did.
Still, the Biden/Harris administration has taken several substantial steps in the right direction, which provides a good base to build on.
Our national policies need to side with science, which points down a clear, unwavering path. Reduce and in time eliminate fossil fuel burning, and we will begin to heal this planet. Fail to do so, and suffer the consequences.
Vote accordingly.
John Burr is the editor of the Jacksonville Climate Coalition newsletter. He also writes a Substack newsletter called Radical Green Zealots (johnburr.substack.com), where this piece first appeared.
If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
