It’s ‘Orwellian': Florida Scientists Respond To Report That State Agency Banned ‘Climate Change’
Its Orwellian': Florida Scientists Respond To Report That State Agency Banned Climate Change
by Katie Valentine Posted on March 9, 2015 at 4:10 pm
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Kirtman said he thinks the unofficial policy on mentioning climate change at the DEP was a political move on the part of the governors office.
I believe it was a political mistake, that the Scott administration made this political calculation that they would lose political support if they allowed their administration to talk about climate change, he said, adding that he thought Gov. Scott was following the lead of some members of Congress in trying to ignore the issue of climate change.
Kirtmans previous experience with Florida agencies may have stifled his surprise at the FCIR report, but David Hastings, professor of marine science and chemistry at Floridas Eckerd College, said he was shocked by the article.
At first I thought it was out of the Onion or some other kind of satirical website, he said. It was like a page out of 1984. It was Orwellian. That they are not allowing a word to be used
its scary.
Both scientists along with Jeff Chanton, the John Widmer Winchester Professor of Oceanography at Florida State University were dismayed by the articles claims. Chanton said the unwritten rule amounted to muzzling science, and Kirtman said he thought it would be difficult for the state to make significant headway on mitigating and adapting to climate change if state agencies like the DEP werent allowed to talk about it.
Thats important because, in Florida, the threats surrounding climate change and its impacts are only becoming more dire the state, especially the Southern region, is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and the ecological, economic, and infrastructure-related problems that come with it. Though Scott last month announced a proposed effort to mitigate the effects of sea level rise in Florida, Floridas state government has been slow to act on climate change.
more...
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/03/09/3631450/scientists-respond-to-florida-climate-censorship/