一尊佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯的等身雕像在塔拉哈西揭幕，并在观众面前开始融化，这是一场象征性抗议，抗议他拒绝采取行动应对气候危机。
A life-sized statue of Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, was unveiled and promptly began melting in front of an audience in Tallahassee in a symbolic protest at his rejection of action on the climate crisis.
这尊银色雕像上周在一群旁观者面前揭开，融化后露出了德桑蒂斯面孔下的头骨。该雕塑由纯镓铸造而成，镓是一种在85.6华氏度时就会熔化的金属，这个温度低于佛罗里达州首府塔拉哈西夏季经常达到的高温。
The silvery statue, revealed to an audience of onlookers last week, melted away to show a skull under DeSantis’ face. The structure was cast from solid gallium, a metal that melts at 85.6 F, which is below summertime high temperatures frequently reached in Tallahassee, Florida’s capital.
发起这场雕像抗议的环保人士表示，这是对德桑蒂斯担任佛罗里达州州长八年的恰当纪念，他的任期将于1月结束。
The environmentalists behind the statue-based protest said it was a fitting monument to DeSantis’ eight years as Florida governor, which comes to an end in January.
这位共和党人经常批评他所谓的“激进气候议程”，阻止佛罗里达州各市政当局削减导致地球升温的污染，甚至签署法案，将“气候变化”和“温室气体排放”等术语从州法律中删除。这项法律阻碍了州机构提及气候危机的能力，而气候危机对佛罗里达州构成了不成比例的威胁。与此同时，州教育法规也在确保课堂上逐步消除任何关于气候变化的提及。
The Republican has frequently criticized what he has called a “radical climate agenda,” blocking the ability of Florida municipalities to slash planet-heating pollution, and even signed a bill to erase terms such as “climate change” and “greenhouse gas emissions” from state law. This law has hindered the ability of state agencies to even mention a climate crisis that poses an outsized threat to Florida. In classrooms, meanwhile, state education regulations are also ensuring the steady elimination of any reference to climate change.
“我不是一个全球变暖的人，我不想要这个标签贴在我身上，”德桑蒂斯在2018年说。他曾在2024年竞选共和党总统提名但未成功。
“I am not a global warming person, I don’t want that label on me,” DeSantis, who unsuccessfully ran to become the Republican nominee for president in 2024, said in 2018.
佛罗里达州南部面临海平面上升的严重威胁，而全州各地的家庭和企业都受到强大飓风的袭击，这些飓风因全球气温升高而加剧。由海洋和大气热量增强的风暴造成的损害越来越昂贵，以至于几家主要保险公司已完全退出佛罗里达州。
Southern Florida is acutely threatened by sea level rise, while homes and businesses across the entire state have been lashed by powerful hurricanes, worsened by rising global temperatures. The increasing damage wrought by storms supercharged by ocean and atmospheric heat has proved so costly that several major insurers have exited Florida entirely.
然而，该州对气候危机的立场不太可能改变。近年来，佛罗里达州已成为共和党的堡垒，共和党候选人拜伦·唐纳兹被普遍看好将赢得下个月中期选举中的州长竞选。
The state’s stance towards the climate crisis looks unlikely to change, however. Florida has become a Republican bastion in recent years and Byron Donalds, the GOP candidate, is heavily favored to win the governor’s race in next month’s midterm elections.
唐纳兹曾表示，他希望维护佛罗里达州的环境，但也表示不接受气候变化与人类活动之间的联系，尽管科学界已达成共识，认为化石燃料燃烧正导致气温上升。“气候危机是当今地球面临的首要问题之一。然而，一些竞选公职的候选人仍然否认气候危机正在发生，并否认民众想要的大胆气候行动。”环保组织350Action的竞选经理坎迪斯·福廷说，该组织与广告公司Uncommon共同制作了这尊德桑蒂斯雕像。
Donalds has said he wants to maintain Florida’s environment but has said he doesn’t accept the link between climate change and human actions, despite scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels is causing temperatures to rise. “The climate crisis is one of the top issues facing our planet today. And yet, some candidates running for office still deny it’s happening, and deny the bold climate action that the people want.” said Candice Fortin, campaign manager at 350Action, the environmental group behind the DeSantis statue, along with advertising agency Uncommon.
福廷补充道：“这就是为什么在投票箱前反击他们比以往任何时候都更加重要。如果所有关心民众和地球的人都在选举日发出自己的声音，我们的声音将大到无法被忽视。”德桑蒂斯为其气候立场进行了辩护。“我们正在恢复能源政策的理智，并拒绝激进环保狂热分子的议程，”他在2024年5月将气候问题降为较低的州优先事项时，在X社交媒体平台上发帖称。
“That’s why it’s more important than ever to deny them back at the ballot box,” Fortin added. “If everyone who cares about people and our planet makes their voices heard on election cay, we’ll be too loud to deny.”DeSantis has defended his position on climate. “We’re restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots,” he said in a post on the X social media platform when making climate a lower state priority in May 2024.