In Florida, Term ‘Climate Change’ is banned

Department of Environmental Protection officials have been ordered not to use the term “climate change” or “global warming” in any official communications, emails, or reports, according to former DEP employees, consultants, volunteers and records obtained by the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.

The policy goes beyond semantics and has affected reports, educational efforts and public policy in a department that has about 3,200 employees and $1.4 billion budget.

“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.”

Kristina Trotta, another former DEP employee who worked in Miami, said her supervisor told her not to use the terms “climate change” and “global warming” in a 2014 staff meeting.  “We were told that we were not allowed to discuss anything that was not a true fact,” she said.

SOURCE

This matter is from a little while back but I have not mentioned it before so I thought I should say something about it at this juncture -- as Mr Obama has just been in Florida mocking it.

The instruction does appear to come from Governor Scott and he is within his rights in ordering it.  It applies only to language used by government officials speaking on behalf of the government.  As the head of the government, Scott is entitled to specify how his employees must behave while representing the government.

And presenting a shaky theory as fact is certainly well within the ambit of inappropriate behavior.

How employees behave in a private capacity is unrestricted, however.