Obama Spends Earth Day In The Everglades, Taunting Republicans On Climate Change [View all]

[mfcorey1]

ASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama made an Earth Day visit to Florida's Everglades on Wednesday, where he called out those who would deny climate change.

"2014 was the planet's warmest year on record. Fourteen of the 15 hottest years on record have all fallen in the first 15 years of this century," Obama said. "Yes, this winter was cold in parts of our country, including Washington. Some people in Washington helpfully used a snowball to illustrate that fact. But around the world, in the aggregate, it was the warmest winter ever recorded."

It's of course a huge coincidence that the visit is in the backyard of two Republican presidential hopefuls who have been squishy on the subject of climate change, and a Republican governor who reportedly told state employees they can't even use the words "climate change."

"Climate change can no longer be denied," Obama said. "It can't be edited out. It can't be omitted from the conversation. And action can no longer be delayed."

Ahead of the visit, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on a call that Obama would "use the occasion of Earth Day to highlight his commitment to fighting to protect public health and to fighting the carbon pollution that contributes to climate change." And the president picked Florida, Earnest said, because it's a place "where these kinds of issues have traditionally been bipartisan."

The Everglades, part of the National Park System, is flat, close to sea level and particularly vulnerable to climate change.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/22/obama-florida-climate_n_7117220.html