Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday slammed Florida officials who reportedly banned the use of the term “climate change” in official communication and reports.
Kerry did not specifically name Florida during his speech at the Atlantic Council, but he referenced a report about a ban that he read recently, according to The Hill.
“Literally a couple of days ago, I read about some state officials who are actually trying to ban the use of the term ‘climate change’ in public documents because they’re not willing to face the facts,” Kerry said.
“Now, folks, we literally do not have the time to waste debating whether we can say ‘climate change,'” he continued. “We have to talk about how we solve climate change.”
Numerous former officials from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection told the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting that they were banned from using the terms “climate change,” “global warming” or “sustainability.” They said the unofficial ban was put in place shortly after Gov. Rick Scott (R) took office.
Scott, who has expressed skepticism about climate change, denied the claims about a ban on Monday, according to the Miami Herald.
