Politics-Free Climate Policy: Ron Desantis and Hurricane Ian

Image Source: Reuters

Hurricane Ian, the category four storm that caused billions of dollars in damages and more than 100 deaths this fall, is one in a series of increasingly intense hurricanes to hit the Southeastern United States recently (TIME). Scientists conclude that climate change is behind the worsening severity of these storms due to warming ocean surface temperatures and rising sea levels. These phenomena cause faster wind speeds, increased precipitation, and higher flood elevations, magnifying the overall damage of recent natural disasters (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions). Storms like Hurricane Ian often make landfall in red states, where their presence is paradoxical: they force politicians with conservative positions on climate change, ranging from inaction to denial, to directly confront some of global warming’s worst effects. These natural disasters have devastating consequences, knocking out infrastructure, demolishing homes, and putting lives at risk, yet politicians in the states most affected by them routinely deny the gravity of climate change; on its face, this seems to be an irreconcilable contradiction.

Florida’s Republican Governor Ron Desantis’s response to Hurricane Ian, however, viewed alongside his decisive win in November’s gubernatorial election (and likely presidential campaign), tells a different story. His position on climate issues aligns with that of others in his party. Although he does not deny the existence of climate change, he consistently prevents policies that would mitigate it. He describes his stance by saying “We’re not doing any left-wing stuff” (New Republic, ABC) and in August passed a resolution preventing the government from considering environmental impacts in investment decisions (FL Gov). Nonetheless, when Hurricane Ian hit, Desantis claimed that he was putting politics aside to address the crisis (ABC). He worked with President Biden to secure federal aid even though after other disasters Republican governors seeking aid have taken political hits for civility towards Democratic presidents (NPR). His past legislation to address hurricanes has centered around grants for infrastructure updates to improve resiliency to storms, which climate activists agree is crucial to counteract the effects of climate change. These grants garnered positive reactions from both sides of the aisle (TIME). Storm politics expert Andrew Reeves explained that disasters are a telling test of leadership ability, cutting through the typical partisan snarls to the essential question of whether the government can do its central job: protecting the people (NPR). Based on Desantis’s performance at the polls, he has performed well on this test. Asserting that his “environmental policy is just to try to do things that benefit Floridians” (ABC), he has managed to portray his stance on climate disasters as apolitical, sidestepping the contradiction between refusing to address their root causes and needing to protect Floridians from their effects to be politically successful.

Yet, is it really accurate to view Desantis’ position as apolitical? His policy of adaptation may not fulfill its promise to benefit all Floridians because the resources to adapt are not distributed equitably. The question of which communities receive aid immediately veers into political territory. Too often, aid is distributed not according to need but based on political calculations; for example, the choice of which counties a governor directs aid to may be influenced by which counties they need to win over to be reelected (CMU). Structural racism also plays a critical role: data shows that applicants for federal aid living in primarily non-white areas are less likely to have their requests approved, and many forms of aid do not consider questions of equity. Applicants with less education and applicants who rent their homes are also less likely to receive aid (US News). Furthermore, due to historical practices of segregation such as redlining, Black communities are more likely to be located on low ground without green spaces and are therefore at higher risk of damage from flooding during hurricanes (Scientific American). Thus, communities of color are far more likely to be harmed by natural disasters caused by climate change (Scientific American). His ban on teaching Critical Race Theory in schools suggests that this is not a perspective that Desantis considers (FL Gov), but for those who aren’t ignoring the reality of environmental injustice, it becomes clear that Desantis’ position is a political tactic. When he portrays hurricane relief and adaptation as apolitical, he shifts the blame he is owed for his role in perpetuating climate change and its disproportionate harm to marginalized communities.

Anna Weber, an analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, explains that “when we talk about natural disasters as though it is a force of nature, that sort of leaves humans off the hook…A lot of these human decisions have put people in harm’s way” (US News). By pretending that his response to hurricanes exists separate from politics, Desantis evades responsibility for the harm that his refusal to take action against climate change causes. The tactic appears to be working – he is admired for his bipartisanship and seems to be the GOP’s rising presidential star. If their constituents continue to accept this facade of a politics-free climate policy, Desantis and politicians who pursue a similar course of inaction will continue to be applauded for their counterfeit civility, thereby reaping political gains while causing irreparable damage to their communities. 

References

Frank, Thomas. “Flooding Disproportionately Harms Black Neighborhoods.” Scientific American. Scientific American, June 2, 2020. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flooding-disproportionately-harms-black-neighborhoods/. 

Gasper, John. “Make It Rain: How Politics Impacts Disaster Relief.” Tepper School of Business Carnegie Mellon University, March 1, 2018. https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/news/stories/2018/march/politics-disaster-relief.html. 

“Governor DeSantis Announces Legislative Proposal to Stop W.O.K.E. Activism and Critical Race Theory in Schools and Corporations.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.flgov.com/2021/12/15/governor-desantis-announces-legislative-proposal-to-stop-w-o-k-e-activism-and-critical-race-theory-in-schools-and-corporations/. 

“Governor Ron DeSantis Eliminates ESG Considerations from State Pension Investments.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.flgov.com/2022/08/23/governor-ron-desantis-eliminates-esg-considerations-from-state-pension-investments/. 

“Hurricanes and Climate Change.” Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, September 22, 2022. https://www.c2es.org/content/hurricanes-and-climate-change/. 

Johnson, Steven Ross. “The Demographics of Disaster.” U.S. News and World Report, June 22, 2022. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-06-22/disaster-disparities-natural-hazards-climate-change-threaten-underserved-communities. 

Krishnaiyer, Kartik, Jake Bittle, Liza Featherstone, Aaron Regunberg, Kate Aronoff, and Stephen Lezak. “Hurricane Ian Exposes Ron DeSantis's Faux Environmentalism.” The New Republic, November 20, 2022. https://newrepublic.com/article/167904/hurricane-ian-exposes-ron-desantiss-faux-environmentalism. 

Montanaro, Domenico. “How Local and National Leaders Are Tested by Major Natural Disasters.” NPR. NPR, October 1, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/10/01/1126239235/politics-natural-disasters-desantis-hurricane-ian. 

Wholf, Tracey J. “DesSantis Addresses Climate Change Impacts .” ABC News. ABC News Network. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://abcnews.go.com/US/desantis-addresses-climate-change-impacts-source-analysis/story?id=90755697. 

Worland, Justin. “Ron DeSantis Is at the Forefront of GOP Climate Politics.” Time. Time, October 4, 2022. https://time.com/6219326/ron-desantis-climate-florida/.