Obama makes environment his legacy with Pacific sanctuary
BARACK OBAMA has created the largest protected natural area on Earth as he pushes to make the environment and the fight against climate change cornerstones of his legacy.
The US president yesterday signed an executive order quadrupling the perimeter around Papahānaumokuākea, an archipelago off the coast of his native Hawaii, that is home to some of the oldest creatures on the planet.
The creation of more than half a million square miles of sanctuary in the Pacific is “one of the most important actions an American president has ever taken for the health of the oceans,” said Brian Schatz, the senator for Hawaii.
The archipelago is home to endangered species such as sea turtles, blue whales and the last Hawaiian monk seals, as well as some of the oldest creatures on Earth – the black coral there has survived 4,000 years.
More than a quarter of the 7,000 species in the area are not found anywhere else and more are being found.
The area was designated a protected Marine National Monument a decade ago by President George W Bush but deep sea drilling and commercial fishing had placed the ecosystems there under threat once again.
Entering the final months of his presidency, Mr Obama is seeking to urgently push through legislation that he hopes will help define the terms of his legacy. He has made the fight against climate change a key part of his presidency and played a major role in helping to secure a global agreement to reduce carbon emissions.
At home, he has freed up more than $90billion (£68.5 billion) in subsidies for green energy, which have spurred new discoveries in wind and solar power, and has set ambitious targets for fuel cleanliness and energy efficiency.
This month, he pushed through a law requiring all government departments to assess the environmental impact of their policies.
Frustrated by a rebellious Republican opposition, many of Mr Obama’s key policies have been pushed into law using executive orders. This presidential power allows him to circumvent congress, but makes the laws he pushes through vulnerable as they may be reversed by a successive president.
The environment is just one of many areas in which Mr Obama promised change when he was first elected. But after more than seven years the efficacy of his presidency is being questioned.
He campaigned as an anti-war candidate but though he withdrew troops from Iraq, he is engaged there in a bombing campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. He has also kept troops in Afghanistan and overseen a 700 per cent increase in drone strikes in Pakistan.