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Obama to mark Earth Day with climate change speech at Everglades

by Jesse Byrnes - 04/18/15 6:00 AM ET

President Obama is celebrating Earth Day this year with a visit to the Everglades, where he will argue that climate change threatens the U.S. economy.

Obama will travel to the nation’s largest subtropical wilderness in southern Florida on Wednesday, he announced in his weekly address, to underscore an issue central to his administration.

“Rising sea levels are putting a national treasure, and an economic engine for the South Florida tourism industry, at risk,” Obama said in his taped address released Saturday.

{mosads}”Climate change can no longer be denied or ignored. The world is looking to the United States, to us, to lead. And that’s what we’re doing,” Obama said.

Obama will be in the backyard of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), who is expected to launch his White House bid and acknowledged Friday he is “concerned” about climate change.

Obama could invoke a report last month that Florida’s Department of Environmental Protect had been forbidden from using the terms “climate change” and “global warming” in official records.

Later next week, Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Canada, where the U.S. will take over at the helm of the Arctic Council for a two-year term that is expected to focus on climate change.

Obama, who vetoed a Keystone XL oil pipeline bill earlier this year, has made climate change a major focus of his administration and hopes for a global accord on the issue later this year.

Obama insisted in his address that climate change was an issue “bigger and longer-lasting than my presidency.”

“It’s about protecting our God-given natural wonders, and the good jobs that rely on them. It’s about shielding our cities and our families from disaster and harm. It’s about keeping our kids healthy and safe,” Obama said.

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