SINKING

| 3:00 pm EST December 25, 2024
Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

Donald Trump likes to call climate change a “hoax,” but it gets harder to do that once the supposed hoax comes knocking at your door. A new study from the University of Miami reveals that luxury buildings in southern Florida are sinking—as much as three inches since 2016—and climate change is behind much of it. This subsidence (or the gradual sinking of land) is the result of a combination of construction vibrations, soil compaction, and rising sea levels, according to the report.

Among the dozens of buildings affected are Trump Tower III and Trump International Beach Resorts, a fact that poses a bit of an inconvenience for the Trump administration, which is weeks away from hitting the ground running with what is expected to be an obnoxiously anti-environmental agenda. At the recent annual American Geophysical Union conference, the world’s largest gathering of climate scientists with some 25,000 in attendance, in Washington D.C., researchers expressed their fears to Politico about the future of climate research under the new Trump administration. Indeed, Project 2025 proposes significant budget reductions and restructuring of critical agencies such as NOAA and the EPA.

Coastal property owners in Southern Florida, including Trump, should be quite interested in solutions, given that the sea level in that area is reportedly climbing by over 2-1/2 inches per decade. Many scientists believe there may be solutions, such as checking buildings for early warning signs and strengthening infrastructure to combat environmental threats. However, implementing any measure involves dedicated leadership that Trump is unwilling and incapable of giving, particularly on this issue.

This University of Miami study confirms again that climate change is real. Moreover, it reminds us that climate change does not discriminate when it comes to the reach of its profoundly negative effects. Trump can continue arrogantly dismissing climate concerns at the risk of both the environment at large and his own investments. Whether he likes it or not, Trump has not only a moral responsibility but a personal, financial stake in harnessing climate change. History—and his wallet—will remember the direction in which Trump “leads” us regarding the environment beginning January 20.

Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.