Political Quotes

“As the Senator from Hawaii said, it is not just Hawaii, it is not just Rhode Island actually, it is all of our States that will be affected. Dr. Leinin, who testified at our EPW hearing, is from Florida Atlantic University. She highlighted how sensitive Florida will be to climate change. In her testimony, Dr. Leinin said: The Caribbean/Florida region has shown sea surface temperature increases of about . . . [2 degrees Fahrenheit] per decade concurrent with losses of viable coral reef area of between 5.5 percent and 9.2 percent per year. Western Atlantic reefs have the highest percentage area affected by bleaching of any reefs worldwide. Not so great for Florida's diving and snorkeling economy. Dr. Leinin pointed out that Florida's population ``is heavily concentrated, with almost 14 million people living along our coast. In South Florida, Miami, the seventh largest city in the country, the Florida Keys, coastal and inland portions of Broward County, the Florida Everglades and Ft. Lauderdale are all below 2 feet in elevation.'' The effects of sea level rise that we discussed for Hawaii and Rhode Island appear to be more evident in Florida. Dr. Leinin told us: Although sea level rise has only risen these few inches in 50 years, that rise has been sufficient to prevent drainage systems from working during lunar high tides and during storms. The streets of Miami Beach are now routinely flooded at peak high tide.…”