President Obama defended his legacy on the environment and criticized climate change denial Wednesday in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, saying “smart” environmental and economic policy aren’t mutually exclusive. Unlike the bipartisan roster of speakers featured at previous Tahoe summits, no Republican politician addressed the crowd.
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He says it has been a sacred place for the Washoe Tribe for thousands of years and should be held sacred by all Americans. During Wednesday’s remarks Obama said humans are to blame for the change our climate has experienced. Number, two, we’re incentivizing private capital to come off the sidelines and contribute to conservation, because government can’t do it alone.
“I saw what my ancestors must have seen on the main Hawaiian Islands 200 years ago”, said Spies, a PhD candidate now studying coral resistant to stresses like warming water. The Environmental Protection Agency is providing roughly $230,000 to manage and reduce the region’s storm-water runoff, and the Fish and Wildlife Service will provide almost $1 million for eight projects aimed at preventing the spread of invasive zebra and quagga mussels from nearby water bodies to Lake Tahoe.
Obama also referenced efforts to seek up to $10 billion annually from private sources to invest in conservation and efforts to “reverse the deterioration” of California’s Salton Sea, “before it is too late”.
“If you look at the overall picture of the research for the last 15 years, it shows that climate change is having a greater and greater impact on the lake compared to human impact”, Allan tells CBS 5.
Obama arrived in Lake Tahoe as the guest of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who helped to kick off the summit 20 years ago when leaders in California and Nevada became alarmed that Lake Tahoe’s legendary clear water was clouding up.
Obama, who is racing to cement his legacy on climate change before his presidency ends on January 20, will make a rare visit to Midway Atoll on Thursday, deep inside the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument where he expanded protections last week.
The president’s tour is likely to draw criticism from Republicans, who have argued that the president’s efforts to curb climate change will hurt American businesses.
“As I was flying over the lake, I was thinking about Fredo (Corleone)”, Obama said to laughter from the 8,000 or so attendees at the event.
“The challenges of conservation and combating climate change are connected”, Obama added.
He also applauded California Gov.
“We’ve been working on climate change on every front”, he said.
The increasing air temperatures in the Lake Tahoe region also have stressed the surrounding forests, causing an alarming increase in tree mortality that could lead to catastrophic wildfires, Schladow said. This year’s summit was hosted by retiring Nevada Sen.
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Touting his recent national-monument designations, the president said he’s made them a priority because when it comes to the country’s natural resources, “we shouldn’t be the last to enjoy it”.
