Obama dubs it Denali
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — President Barack Obama’s administration made an urgent appeal Monday for global commitments to address climate change, cautioning at an international conference in Alaska that the consequences that have hit the Arctic will soon engulf the world unless more is done to reduce greenhousegas emissions.
“On this issue, of all issues, there is such a thing as being too late,” Obama said. “And that moment is almost upon us.”
Speaking at the start of a climate- change conference that includes representatives of 20 nations, Obama said climate change, if left unchecked, would trigger global conflict and “condemn our children to a planet beyond their capacity to repair.” In the Arctic, which is warming faster than any other part of the world, Obama said melting permafrost and disintegrating sea ice raise the risk of floods, fires and unimaginable economic damage.
“It’s already changing the way Alaskans live,” Obama said.
Secretary of State John Kerry said climate change — reflected by what he called “seismic changes” in temperatures and sea levels — could soon create waves of refugees forced to abandon traditional homes or to fight for food and water.
“You think migration is a challenge to Europe today because of extremism. Wait until you see what happens when there’s an absence of water, an absence of food or one tribe fighting against another for mere survival,” Kerry said at the conference.
Obama arrived in Alaska on Monday to begin a threeday tour of the state, part of a White House campaign to show how climate change has affected Alaska’s landscape.
Stepping off Air Force One, Obama was greeted by Alaska’s leaders and the U. S. Army Alaska’s commanding general. Small crowds gathered along the streets as Obama made his way through downtown Anchorage, where he planned to meet with Alaska Natives.
Later in the trip, Obama will become the first sitting president to travel north of the Arctic Circle when he visits Kotzebue — population 3,153 — to address the plight of Alaska Natives, who are experiencing dire economic conditions and some of the worst effects of global warming.
“They don’t get a lot of presidents in Kotzebue,” Alaska Gov. Bill Walker quipped as he joined Obama for the seven- hour flight from Washington.
Aboard Air Force One, the White House unveiled a new
National Park Service map bearing the name Denali where Mount McKinley used to be. As a prelude to the trip, Obama announced that his administration was renaming the tallest mountain in North America and restoring its traditional Athabascan name.
The move drew applause from Walker, a registered Independent, and other Alaska leaders but harsh condemnations from Ohio politicians angry that Ohio native and former President William McKinley’s name will be erased from the mountain.
“You just don’t go and do something like that,” said Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential candidate. The White House said it planned to work with Ohio officials to find another way to honor McKin- ley’s legacy.
The goal of Obama’s trip is to show real- world effects of climate change and drive home the president’s message that the crisis already has arrived.
The administration has set a goal for the U. S. to lower heat- trapping pollution in the next 10 years by as much as 28 percent from 2005 levels, part of a plan filed with the United Nations to combat climate change.
Frustrated by the slow pace of global climate talks, U. N. Secretary- General Ban Kimoon plans to invite around 40 world leaders, including Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to a private meeting this month.
The meeting will take place in New York on Sept. 27, said three people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak to the media.
More than 190 nations are working to reach an agreement in Paris in December to limit greenhouse- gas emissions and avert the worst effects of global warming.
While Obama and other world leaders have declared support for the goal, negotiations are moving slowly.
Deep divides remain about the legal structure of the agreement, how to provide financial help to poorer countries and other issues.