TECO's power plant in Apollo Beach spews greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. By Seán Kinane/WMNF News (Jan. 2010).
Twenty-six Florida scientists have written a letter to Donald Trump; they want to meet with the Republican presidential nominee to talk about the latest climate science and the threats expected because of a changing climate. That’s because Trump has claimed that human-caused climate change is a hoax.
WMNF News interviewed one of the scientists who signed the letter, David Hastings, a professor of marine science and chemistry at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.
“Well, we do know that Mr. Trump called climate change a hoax, perpetrated by the Chinese. He’s denying the science of climate change. As scientists, we’re very concerned with that. We’re concerned with facts and he’s clearly at odds and in contradiction with the facts of climate change.”
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Tampa. By Seán Kinane / WMNF News (24 Aug. 2016).
What are the facts of climate change? Why should Floridians be concerned? Why should people who are voting in the presidential election be concerned about climate change?
“Right. So, I’ll answer first why Floridians should be concerned about climate change. We’re really ground zero for the impacts of climate change, in Florida, for a variety of different reasons. First of all, sea level rise: we know that the oceans are gonna rise–and they are–and they will continue to do that. That’s gonna obviously effect all our coastal towns and cities and places that we live and recreate. So, that’s gonna effect it tremendously: sea-level rise.
“Something, sometimes we don’t think about as much is that the water supplies, our fresh water drinking supplies, are going to be contaminated by the saltwater that’s rising. So, we’re going to have salinization of our drinking water, which is a huge concern.
“And then, it keeps on adding in, because we know the planet is warming, the oceans are warming and hurricanes and bad storms come from the warm oceans–they only occur when we have warm oceans. So, we know that as the ocean’s temperature rises, we’re gonna get worse hurricanes. And if you combine bad hurricanes with sea-level rise–we’re talking about storm surge. And the recent Hurricane Matthew, we saw just remarkable storm surges that were unprecedented–10 feet in some places. So there’s that. The list goes on.
Bleached brain corals. By Cindy Lewis / Keys Marine Lab.
“To cut it short, the coral reefs–our beloved coral reefs–which is why tourists come here–to a large extent–they’re gonna die as temperatures rise and the oceans become more acidic.
“So, there’s lots of reasons for Floridians to be concerned. If there’s one state that should really be concerned about climate change — impacts of climate change, it’s Florida.”
Florida Governor Rick Scott talks about the sinkhole at Mosaic’s New Wales phosphate manufacturing plant near Mulberry in eastern Polk County. By Seán Kinane / WMNF News (27 Sept 2016).
And you’ve had a conversation with Governor Rick Scott, because you wrote him a similar letter. What was the response?
“Right. So, Governor Rick Scott was also in denial of the science of climate change. And we just wanted to talk to them.
“He said, ‘I’m not a scientist, therefore I can’t understand climate change.’ And we really don’t believe that you need to be a scientist in order to understand both the cause of climate change and the impacts. It’s fairly straight forward. We teach it to 18-year-olds all the time here at Eckerd College.
“So, it’s interesting and there are complicated aspects of the science of climate change, but, the fundamentals are pretty straight forward and that is that it’s happening. It’s happening now. We are causing it.
“Scientists agree it’s happening quickly, more quickly than we thought. And the really good news is we can do something about it. And that’s really what these conversations are about, is that we have choices, every day, and especially in two weeks, about who we elect for president. Those choices are whether we choose somebody who denies the science of climate change or somebody who accepts it and has a clear plan to do something about it.”
Aside from politics, what are some things that people can do, besides voting. What are things that the country needs to do or that the next leader would need to do in order to control climate change?
“You know, I’m gonna answer a slightly different question, that you talked about politics– that’s not something that we need to– I don’t want to appear political. We’re really talking about the science of climate change and to deny or to accept the science. I think it’s unfortunate and it’s really not appropriate for this to be a political discussion, because this is whether something is true or not. It’s whether the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. This is a fact and all of the reputable climate scientists agree that the climate is changing and that humans are responsible.
“What is political is what we decide to do about it. I’m accepting of different approaches to how to deal with the impacts of climate change, but, that’s the politics, that’s the policy. But, what I’m suggesting is that we accept the science of climate change, because that’s the reality and all climate scientists, who are reputable, are accepting the science of climate change.”
Let me ask you about something that’s on the ballot. Amendment 1, which is a solar power amendment, what does that have to do with climate change?
“Right. You talked about solutions to climate change. Obviously, there are a lot of solutions to climate change and producing energy that’s renewable–that isn’t reliant on burning carbon and producing CO2–is extremely important and one of those ways is to put solar on our houses–solar photovoltaic electricity.
“Amendment 1 is worded in a very confusing way. It appears to be pro-solar, but, in fact no solar industry supports it and no environmental group, who supports solar electricity supports it. So, it’s intentionally confusing. It looks that it’s pro-solar, but, it’s actually not. It’s an industry-sponsored amendment that makes it more difficult and more expensive for solar photovoltaic to come up on my roof, for example.”
I think we went through all of my questions. Is there anything else people should know about climate change?
“There’s lots to be concerned about with climate change in this election. You know, we can talk about how Donald Trump is denying climate change, but, I think it’s also important to point out the candidates who are supporting climate change. Secretary Clinton clearly accepts the science of climate change and she has a clear plan to address the concerns that scientists have. That’s why, as scientists, that we really see a positive light there, in Secretary Clinton’s proposals and plans, both to deal with the impacts of climate change and how to produce energy more sustainably.
“So, we’re very concerned about the anti-science rhetoric that’s going and we’re also very inspired by Secretary Clinton’s plans.”
3 Responses to “Florida scientists want to educate Trump on climate”
Magoo
Maybe they can explain to Trump the empirical evidence showing exactly what percentage of any recorded warming since 1950 is attributable to man’s CO2 output as opposed to natural causes, why (according to the IPCC) all the climate models have failed when compared to the empirical temperature readings, and why the upper troposphere hasn’t warmed at a faster rate than the surface as evidence of positive feedback. Perhaps then they can explain why we should worry when 50% of the predicted warming in the form of positive feedback from water vapour is non existent (hence the failed climate models).
Folks You Need to FOLLOW THE MONEY First this Liberal Progressive writer talks about sea levels going up. The US Navy & the English Navy have been measuring sea levels in virtually every major port in the world throughout the last century & they have definitively stated that sea levels are rising at a rate of 0.3 mL PER YEAR
Al Gore rode the wave of the green movement & he profited mightily to the point where he became a multimillionaire So much so that he bought a TV station and then sold it to Al Jazeera for untold millions of dollars to Al Jazeera is backed by Hamas & Hezbollah and he gave them a perfect vehicle to spread their propaganda inside the US. Obama’s, pushing the green movement because it’s a HUGELY PROFITABLE SCAM. Solyndra’s owners were friends of Obama & received millions of dollars of taxpayer’s money shortly after Obama was elected and shortly thereafter they bankrupted the company. There’s a big green energy tax Obama’s trying to push on the wealthy countries to give the money to underdeveloped countries. Obama will insert himself as the conduit to funnel the money through him & it will result in him making millions Obama was a community organizer before he became Senator. Obama ran UNOPPOSED & won the Senate race by blackmailing his competition, then forcing them out of the race. Obama creating a conduit to distribute the funds. You can believe this; he will get his share not matter what. Bill & Hillary via The Clinton Foundation funneled 95% of all the funds donated to the Haitian Disaster Relief Fund into their pocket and only 5% went to the Haitians. Rodham Clinton was put in charge of all the drilling & mining for valuable minerals with not 1 single day of drilling or mining experience. He was broke & now he’s VERY comfortable. The fact is that if you wanted to get anything done in Haiti you had to go through the Clintons they position themselves so there was no other way. Ask the Haitians they’ll tell you how Hillary and Bill ripped them off and they are no better off today than they were after that terrible disaster. the last century to the conclusion that sea levels are rising at a rate of 0.3 mL PER YEAR. Folks You Need to Follow the Money. Al Gore rode the wave of the green movement & made a fortune. Obama friends owned Solyndra & he gave them millions of dollars of taxpayer money & soon after they bankrupted the company Obama’s pushing it relentlessly Why? Because it’s a hugely profitable scam There’s a huge green energy tax Obama’s trying to push. Obama has plans to insert himself as a conduit to funnel the money, He saw The Clinton Foundation model work so successfully that he’s going to imitate it Keep in mind the Clinton Foundation is the largest criminal money-laundering operation in the world Hillary & The Clinton Foundation funneled 95% of all the funds donated worldwide into their pocket and only 5% went to the Haitians. Rodham Clinton oversaw all the drilling & mining for valuable minerals with not 1 day of drilling or mining experience. He was dead broke & now he’s very rich. Sounds like the Clintons. Hillary stated the same thing when they left office they were dead broke & 5 years later Clintons were worth $215 million with no business & no product to sell. Just speeches & accessibility to The State Dept in a worldwide pay for play operation. If you wanted to get anything done in Haiti you HAD to go through the Clintons, there was no other way. Ask the Haitians & they’ll tell you how Hillary & Bill ripped them off so badly that they are no better off today than they were after that terrible disaster. Look at the Russian Uranium deal just one of many scams perpetrated by the Clintons
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Maybe they can explain to Trump the empirical evidence showing exactly what percentage of any recorded warming since 1950 is attributable to man’s CO2 output as opposed to natural causes, why (according to the IPCC) all the climate models have failed when compared to the empirical temperature readings, and why the upper troposphere hasn’t warmed at a faster rate than the surface as evidence of positive feedback. Perhaps then they can explain why we should worry when 50% of the predicted warming in the form of positive feedback from water vapour is non existent (hence the failed climate models).
Folks You Need to FOLLOW THE MONEY First this Liberal Progressive writer talks about sea levels going up. The US Navy & the English Navy have been measuring sea levels in virtually every major port in the world throughout the last century & they have definitively stated that sea levels are rising at a rate of 0.3 mL PER YEAR
Al Gore rode the wave of the green movement & he profited mightily to the point where he became a multimillionaire So much so that he bought a TV station and then sold it to Al Jazeera for untold millions of dollars to Al Jazeera is backed by Hamas & Hezbollah and he gave them a perfect vehicle to spread their propaganda inside the US. Obama’s, pushing the green movement because it’s a HUGELY PROFITABLE SCAM. Solyndra’s owners were friends of Obama & received millions of dollars of taxpayer’s money shortly after Obama was elected and shortly thereafter they bankrupted the company. There’s a big green energy tax Obama’s trying to push on the wealthy countries to give the money to underdeveloped countries. Obama will insert himself as the conduit to funnel the money through him & it will result in him making millions Obama was a community organizer before he became Senator. Obama ran UNOPPOSED & won the Senate race by blackmailing his competition, then forcing them out of the race. Obama creating a conduit to distribute the funds. You can believe this; he will get his share not matter what. Bill & Hillary via The Clinton Foundation funneled 95% of all the funds donated to the Haitian Disaster Relief Fund into their pocket and only 5% went to the Haitians. Rodham Clinton was put in charge of all the drilling & mining for valuable minerals with not 1 single day of drilling or mining experience. He was broke & now he’s VERY comfortable. The fact is that if you wanted to get anything done in Haiti you had to go through the Clintons they position themselves so there was no other way. Ask the Haitians they’ll tell you how Hillary and Bill ripped them off and they are no better off today than they were after that terrible disaster. the last century to the conclusion that sea levels are rising at a rate of 0.3 mL PER YEAR. Folks You Need to Follow the Money. Al Gore rode the wave of the green movement & made a fortune. Obama friends owned Solyndra & he gave them millions of dollars of taxpayer money & soon after they bankrupted the company Obama’s pushing it relentlessly Why? Because it’s a hugely profitable scam There’s a huge green energy tax Obama’s trying to push. Obama has plans to insert himself as a conduit to funnel the money, He saw The Clinton Foundation model work so successfully that he’s going to imitate it Keep in mind the Clinton Foundation is the largest criminal money-laundering operation in the world Hillary & The Clinton Foundation funneled 95% of all the funds donated worldwide into their pocket and only 5% went to the Haitians. Rodham Clinton oversaw all the drilling & mining for valuable minerals with not 1 day of drilling or mining experience. He was dead broke & now he’s very rich. Sounds like the Clintons. Hillary stated the same thing when they left office they were dead broke & 5 years later Clintons were worth $215 million with no business & no product to sell. Just speeches & accessibility to The State Dept in a worldwide pay for play operation. If you wanted to get anything done in Haiti you HAD to go through the Clintons, there was no other way. Ask the Haitians & they’ll tell you how Hillary & Bill ripped them off so badly that they are no better off today than they were after that terrible disaster. Look at the Russian Uranium deal just one of many scams perpetrated by the Clintons
THE CLINTON FOUNDATION is being called the largest money laundering criminal operation in the world