GreenLatinos Horrified by the Imminent Enactment of HB1645

WASHINGTON — GreenLatinos is horrified by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's signing of Florida state bill HB 1645, which removes the phrase “climate change” from state statutes and restructures the state’s fossil fuel-based energy policy that listed climate change as a priority when making energy policy decisions.

Effective July 1st, the bill deletes climate change as a priority, bans offshore wind power, repeals renewable energy grant programs, eliminates climate-friendly purchasing for state agencies, and blocks local rules promoting energy-efficient appliances. 

GreenLatinos urges Florida's elected leaders to reconsider this misguided policy and reinstate science-based decision-making that protects all Floridians and safeguards the state's future prosperity in the face of climate change.

In response to the imminent enactment of this state legislation in Florida, our Climate Justice and Clean Air Program Director, Irene Burga, and GreenLatinos Spanish Climate Disinformation Fellow Juan Pablo Alvarado released the following statements: 

"The passing of HB 1645 is an absolute disgrace. With this action, Florida has taken a huge step backward in protecting its already vulnerable population from the extreme impacts of the climate crisis. By removing critical mentions of climate change from state statutes, we are ignoring the urgent needs of our communities and the reality of the environmental challenges Floridians face. Florida, with over 21 million residents, is one of the most vulnerable states to climate change impacts, including rising sea levels and increased hurricane intensity. These issues disproportionately affect the state's heavily populated Latino/a/e communities, who often reside in high-risk coastal areas and are more likely to face the brunt of environmental and economic hardships. Florida's leadership has failed its people, and GreenLatinos will not stand by as our communities are put in jeopardy." - Irene Burga, GreenLatinos Climate Justice and Clean Air Program Director.

“As a state vulnerable to sea level rise, extreme heat, flooding, and intensifying hurricanes, disregarding climate change impacts contradicts reasonable policymaking grounded in facts. Ignoring these realities jeopardizes public health, economic prosperity, and environmental justice in a state highly susceptible to climate disruptions. Latine Floridians, including farmworkers, low-income families, and coastal populations, are among the most vulnerable to such climate disruptions,” said Juan Pablo Alvarado, GreenLatinos Spanish-language Climate Disinformation Fellow. “The legislation also serves to amplify climate change misinformation and disinformation by censoring factual terms and data from official state policies and communications. This institutionalizes a climate denial agenda that is entirely divorced from reality.”

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About GreenLatinos

GreenLatinos (NOTE: GreenLatinos is ONE WORD) is an active comunidad of Latino/a/e leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.