Local leaders must mitigate impact of global warming

President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement to combat global warming, and continues to follow the lead of his science-denying EPA chief, Scott Pruitt, best friend of Big Energy. Trump’s decision is short-sighted and harmful to Floridians and Americans.

Trump’s decision weakens American leadership in world politics by isolating us from others on a paramount world challenge. The U.S. now sits on the sidelines of the world stage with Syria and Nicaragua, the only other countries not participating. The agreement is voluntary and legally non-binding, so we would have a lot of flexibility to maneuver and to nudge other countries to do more. But we can’t do that if we don’t even play the game. And Trump’s decision appears to be playing right into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to split the U.S. from our European allies.

But I’m most worried about the impact here at home. The Bradenton-Sarasota area is expected to see average daily high temperatures rise by as many as 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050, with dozens more days with highs above 95 degrees. By that time I’ll be retired, but I would move away if that happened. I can’t imagine it would be good for energy costs for local businesses or pleasant for tourists, either.

We need strong local leadership to mitigate the impact of global warming. It would be great to see Manatee County and the City of Bradenton become climate leaders.

This story was originally published June 10, 2017 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Local leaders must mitigate impact of global warming."