Cognitive dissonance case

As you may have heard, Florida governor Ron DeSantis is not an environmentalist, as evidenced by recent legislation that forbids references to climate change in state policy. But, as evidenced by the recent floods that dumped up to 20 inches of rain over a large swath of the state, his approach to climate has not aged well.

What’s worse: shortly before those storms hit, he signed a bill cutting $205 million in stormwater, wastewater and sewer projects from the state’s budget, exacerbating the already apocalyptic situation.

The irony is that Florida is particularly vulnerable to rising seas due to its low elevation, as well as hurricanes and tropical storms made more severe by climate change. I believe DeSantis’ policy making on the situation is a classic case of cognitive dissonance.

Luke Daniels

Rochester