Statements
FDP Chair Manny Diaz’s Statement on the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report
Today, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released an alarming report on the future of our planet. It states that humanity’s large-scale release of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere has caused long-term damage to the stability of the world’s climate and we must act swiftly and decisively to avoid even more dire consequences. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres characterized the report as “a code red for humanity.”
In response to this document, Florida Democratic Party Chairman Manny Diaz issued the following statement:
“Today’s report from the scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a clarion call for concerted action across the globe. Although it is a stark warning that must be heeded by all nations, the United States, one of the world’s greatest emitters of greenhouse gases, must take even more careful note of its findings.
“As a Floridian, I have read this report with particular alarm. There is no doubt that our state is ground zero when it comes to climate change. Our extensive and highly populated coastline is vulnerable to more intense hurricanes. Many of our communities are suffering through flooding during sunny days and rising sea levels are starting to intrude into the aquifers that give us drinking water. We simply cannot wait any longer to see decisive measures on this issue.
“Every one of us, regardless of party or ideology, must add our voices to the growing chorus of people across the nation and the world who demand immediate action on climate change. I call on Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Rick Scott and all Florida Republicans to see the urgency of the situation and help enact a comprehensive agenda at both the state and federal levels that will limit the impact of climate change to save our state, our nation and our planet. The effects are here and they’re not going away. The time to act is now.
“We owe this much to our children and grandchildren. We should heed the timeless words of Native American Chief Seattle who years ago told us ‘We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors—we borrow it from our children.’”