Melting Ron DeSantis statue unveiled to call out his inaction on climate crisis

Cast from gallium, which melts at 85.6F, the silvery-statue quickly began melting Photograph: 350 Action View image in fullscreen Cast from gallium, which melts at 85.6F, the silvery-statue quickly began melting Photograph: 350 Action Melting Ron DeSantis statue unveiled to call out his inaction on climate crisis Florida governor has consistently opposed any legislation to curb planet-heating emissions, calling it a ‘radical climate agenda’ 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. The silvery statue, revealed to an audience of onlookers last week, melted away to show a skull under DeSantis’s face. The structure was cast from solid gallium, a metal that melts at 85.6F (29.8C), which is below summertime high temperatures frequently reached in Tallahassee, Florida’s capital. The environmentalists behind the statue-based protest said it was a fitting monument to DeSantis’s eight years as Florida governor, which comes to an end in January. View image in fullscreen The face of the statue melted away to reveal a skull-like structure under it. Photograph: 350 ActionThe 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 erased terms such as “climate change” and “greenhouse gas emissions” from Florida 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. “I am not a global warming person, I don’t want that label on me,” DeSantis, who unsuccessfully ran to become Republican nominee for US president in 2024, said in 2018. Southern Florida is acutely threatened , while homes and businesses across the entire state have been increasingly lashed , worsened . 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. View image in fullscreen The installation, called ‘DENIAL,’ was created by Uncommon, an advertising agency, climate advocacy group 350 Action and M ss ng P eces, a production company. Photograph: 350 ActionDonalds 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.