Jon Stewart let news footage do most of the work on Wednesday night’s edition of “The Daily Show.”
Reporting the news that Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has reportedly barred state officials from using the term “climate change” since 2011, the host played a clip of an ex-government worker who was critical of the move.
“At some point it was mentioned that sea level rise was to be referred to as ‘nuisance flooding,'” one former employee of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection.
“Ah yes!” Stewart said. “Moisture inconvenience! State-wide jacuzzification.”
Next Stewart rolled a clip of Bryan Koon, the Florida chief of emergency management, dancing around the word at a recent hearing.
Democratic state Sen. Jeff Clemens eventually pinned and interogated Koon’s repeated use of the word “issue” to mean “climate change.”
“What issue is that?” asked Clemens.
“The issue you mentioned earlier,” Koon said, as the room burst into laughter on the tape.
One lawmaker was laughing so hard he began to weeze, causing Stewart to worry he’d be the first casualty of climate change.
Watch the clip, courtesy of Comedy Central: