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State Employees Say Rules Prevent Open "Climate Change" Discussion In Florida

An anonymous reader writes "The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting has an article in the Miami Herald about there being certain words state employees have been ordered to avoid: "We were told not to use the terms 'climate change', 'global warming', or 'sustainability'," said Christopher Byrd, an attorney with the DEP's Office of General Counsel in Tallahassee from 2008 to 2013. "That message was communicated to me and my colleagues by our superiors in the Office of General Counsel."

6 of 366 comments (clear)

  1. Climate Deniers: What is your defence for this? by catchblue22 · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I am really curious as to the talking points the climate deniers will come up with to defend a government banning the use of particular words. Has it really come to this?

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    This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when first he appears as a protector - Plato (423 to 327 BC)
  2. Re:i'th Post by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Its not odd at all considering scientists participate in political activism (james hansen)

    Was Frances Kelsey a "political activist", too? Or was she simply trying to do her job diligently?

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    Ezekiel 23:20
  3. Re:Hilarious by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One side of the abortion debate describes foes as "anti-choice" rather than "pro-life."

    To be honest, that one seems to make sense - these "pro-life" people are more likely to supports wars and the death penalty, so calling them "pro-life" seems kind of disingenuous.

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    Ezekiel 23:20
  4. Re:i'th Post by blue+trane · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In Bangladesh, the coastline is receding with no bailouts, and people move to cities which have no infrastructure. The humane solution is precisely more creation of public money, and education. Your market solution creates a lot of unnecessary misery, because ideology.

  5. Notice they don't mention temprature? by rs79 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Wouldn't you expect them to say "It's gotten x degrees warmer every year" for some value of x?

    Notice they stopped postings graphs of how much warmer it is? They used to.

    The sum total of all harm is itemised in one paragraph: "The state of Florida is the region most susceptible to the effects of global warming in this country, according to scientists. Sea-level rise alone threatens 30 percent of the state’s beaches over the next 85 years."

    How can the sea rise only on 30% of beaches?

    climte.gov has a nice temperature dashboard that has all the data you can play with and graph in realtime. May I suggest you go and look at it to find out what x is? Aren't you curious?

    The explanation for the 30% figure is twofold. If you'll notice, where they ripped up all the trees, erosion takes place. In the Keys, whihc they can't touch, not so much.

    Also, they've been pumping groundwater out for ages. Do you think this leaves behind a great huge hole and a vacuum? No really, the land sort of sinks:
    http://www.nature.com/news/sou...

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    Need Mercedes parts ?
  6. Try North Carolina by Overzeetop · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "The law approved by the senate on 12 June [2012] banned scientists in state agencies from using exponential extrapolation to predict sea-level rise, requiring instead that they stick to linear projections based on historical data."

    No need to limit talking in NC, they just pass legislation which limits sea rise. Science through legislation. Done and done.

    http://www.scientificamerican....

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    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?