Allocate Florida Climate Change Budget To Fix Root Problems

If you’re a native Floridian like me, you must have heard the widely known statement “we’ll be underwater in the next 40 years”. This statement, as unbelievable as it may seem, is sadly accurate. Climate change is affecting the entire world but the state of Florida is one that will be affected heavily and will see consequences quicker than most. Climate change is a change in the global temperature and weather patterns caused by an increase in CO2. This is largely attributed to the burning of fossil fuels. This releases a large amount of CO2 into the atmosphere that acts as an insulating blanket, warming the planet and setting off a myriad of collateral effects. According to The Guardian (2020) in their article “Will Florida be Lost Forever To The Climate Crisis?”,Florida sea levels will rise up to 31 inches in less than 4o years. Although there are options for raising highways and implementing better sewage systems, the damage done to our ecosystem and city will be irrevocable. The key to solving the problem is to tackle the issue at the root. Reducing the effects will reduce the collateral effects and be better in the long run. In June 2021, Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed a $101.5 billion budget for mitigating the effects of climate change. According to the Treasure Coast Newspaper (2021) in their article on the Florida climate budget, the money is being allocated into restoring the environment due to the effects of climate change. However, the money is not going into preventing climate change. If the money was going to be put into helping prevent climate change, we would not have such harsh effects on the environment. There needs to be a balance in budgeting. We want Ron Desantis to put money into programs that help fix the problem at the root. This includes regulating the pollution of factories and planting more trees. With all of the money that Florida taxpayers pay, there should be some of it that goes into fixing the climate change problem, not just putting a bandaid over it.