Wednesday, US President Joe Biden visited areas of Florida devastated last week by cataclysmic hurricane Ian, underlining that climate change must be taken seriously while standing in the midst of what looked like an abandoned site of catastrophe.

“There’s a lot going on, and I think the one thing this has finally ended is a discussion about whether or not there’s climate change, and [that] we should do something about it,” Biden said, also stressing the need for a united federal response to take care of the long building process ahead.

More than 100 people died amid Ian’s destruction, also leaving 400,000 households and businesses without power Tuesday, five days after the tropical storm raged through the southeastern US state.

Biden also met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a possible Republican party candidate for the next presidential election in 2024.

The two US officials have clashed in disagreement several times along partisan lines regarding abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and access to Covid-19 vaccinations.

Such antagonisms were largely set aside during Biden’s visit to the hard-hit city Fort Myers.

The Republican party traditionally denies the existence of climate change.

DeSantis and Biden stood side by side while meeting hurricane victims.

Climate science projects that storms like Ian will become more wet and violent looking forward, resulting in increasingly serious ruin.

Biden has reducing US greenhouse gas emissions as a priority for his term in office.

DeSantis has supported Florida’s efforts to safeguard against flooding, but he also opposed legislation supporting climate change mitigation .

Meanwhile, Republicans have urged pension companies to overlook climate concerns in pursuit of returns.

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