A life-size metal statue of Florida governor Ron DeSantis was unveiled in the state capital of Tallahassee last week and immediately began to melt, The Guardian reports, revealing a skull behind the politician’s face. The project was organized by environmental activists seeking to highlight the Republican leader’s sustained efforts to end or block climate-change protections. The sculpture was made of solid gallium, a silvery material that melts at 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit—well below the record highs that scorched Florida cities this past summer.
During his nearly eight-year tenure as governor, which will end this January, DeSantis has prevented Florida cities from reducing climate-affecting pollution and Florida schools from mentioning climate change in class. He has additionally banned offshore wind power, slackened gas pipeline rules, prohibited government entities from implementing net-zero mandates or emissions targets, and scrubbed references to climate change from state law.
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The state in recent years has directly experienced the effects of a warming planet, suffering ever-more powerful hurricanes, fast-rising seas, and climbing temperatures. Florida homeowners currently pay the highest insurance rates in the nation, with more than a dozen insurers having exited the state or entered insolvency as damage claims increase.
“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 350 Action, which worked with advertising agency Uncommon on the statue project.
Florida, a Republican stronghold, is unlikely to change its stance on climate change with the next election: GOP candidate Byron Reynolds, who rejects the scientific consensus linking human actions to climate change, is favored to win.