Following the landfall of Milton Governor DeSantis claimed climate change had nothing to do with increased tropical activity and the size of storms by cherry picking some data about strength of storms around the center. This is almost irrelevant when we talk about the widespread effects of more recent storms that have impacted the states since 2017 and compare them to storms from the 1920s and 1960s and even the 1990s.
DeSantis is DEAD WRONG on Climate Change and Hurricane history in Florida
Florida History Podcast
The Florida Squeeze 
It’s interesting and maybe ironic that the U.S.’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have declined as we use more natural gas than coal, since around 2005 (or 2008?), I believe. Globally, if China and India are any indication, GHG emissions, has gone in the other direction. Also, US, climate change could be delayed by time – for it to be coincident would be a little freakish, but not impossible. Either way, the theory of the case of man-made climate change is that the industrial revolution caused climate change, right? (At least that is when we really began pumping a lot of coal emissions into the atmosphere.) Do we have enough data prior to the 1850s to make a good comparison? I’m not denying things are changing, just wondering.
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i’d argue one of the major mistakes liberals have made about this climate change issue is building their case around carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. That’s not what is at play here. What’s at play here is sea level rise. In addition to over population of the Florida Peninsula. Overdevelopment building in environmentally sensitive areas, the issues we’ve had with water flow because of Human construction projects. All of that furtgers climate change it’s not just about carbon emissions missions.
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That’s brings up the issue of how insurance/recovery money will be spent? My guess is outside of positive state government action (not a DeSantis specialty), we will continue to rebuild on barrier islands which will be knocked down by the next storm?
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The insurance situation is going to be untenable after this, and honestly, the state is becoming more and more unsustainable. Just like every phase of Florida history a bubble for short term, profits that ends up bursting.
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Yeah. I’m hoping you will add to the article about Florida’s Bubble Bursting. I think the storms have given the newcomers a bit of buyers remorse.
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https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks
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If climate change is man-made and will irreversibly lead to rising sea levels, what should Florida prioritize? Building more, and more effective, sea walls? Prioritizing the switch from oil and coal to natural gas and/or renewables? Much of conventional wisdom has been to switch to renewables as if there would be zero cost for the transition. As that is not the case, is it a viable policy choice and how much of a difference would it make if global GHGs continue to increase?
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It would be an interesting time to be in D.C. In ’92 Florida was still a swing state and the Bush Administration seemed to increase the amount of money coming to Florida by the day. I would imagine the Biden Administration is likely doing the same but probably for Georgia or North Carolina in this case.
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More importantly, the Bush administration in 2004 when we got hit by multiple hurricanes. Andrew was an isolated event for the most part – only impacted extreme Southeast Florida. Though granted for those places, it was like a nuclear bomb went off.
Much of the national media wanted to act like Florida didn’t take the brunt of Helene by ignoring us, even though Pinellas was completely messed up and has a higher population than any place impacted significantly by the storm in North Carolina or Georgia . My Soccer interests in Pinellas County are really discombobulated now and I’m not sure we’re going to be able to get them back humming anytime soon. The double whammy of Helene and Milton really did them in.
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I wonder if many Midwesterners from the Tampa/Orlando region will be packing their bags? If real estate prices start slipping some banks/bond funds could face some turbulence.
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I bet many will…
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