WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is trying to frame climate change as a make-or-break political issue, urging Americans to vote only for those who will protect the country from environmental harm.
He said in his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday that people in the United States already are paying a price for climate change, including in lost lives and hundreds of billions of dollars.
“If you agree with me, I’ll need you to act,” Obama said. “Remind everyone who represents you, at every level of government, that there is no contradiction between a sound environment and a strong economy - and that sheltering future generations against the ravages of climate change is a prerequisite for your vote.”
In his remarks released Saturday but recorded at the White House before his trip to Africa, Obama aimed to persuade the public to help sell his climate-change plan for him.
That plan, released last week, is bypassing Congress after years of efforts to get lawmakers to pass legislation to deal with the issue.
At the core of Obama’s plan are new controls on new and existing power plants that emit carbon dioxide, heat-trapping gases. The program is intended to boost renewable energy production on federal lands, increase efficiency standards and prepare communities to deal with higher temperatures.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 06/30/2013