After taking the oath of office for his second term, President Barack Obama laid out his vision for the next four years and included a call to action to battle the ‘threat of climate change.’
Mid-way through his address the president said, “We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.”
The president invoked the memories of the Founding Fathers and the nation’s founding documents repeatedly using the phrase, “We, the people” in his address. It was in stark contrast to many of his previous speeches in which “I” has been the dominant personal pronoun used.
The repeated refrain from global warming alarmists of ‘overwhelming’ evidence was injected into Obama’s commentary. It was however in such a context that fails to acknowledge that few deny climate change. The real debate is about whether man is the primary driver behind such change or are there natural forces that have a far greater impact.
“None can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms,” Obama said.
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The past year saw wildfires rage across the American West and drought affect millions of acres in the nation’s heartland. Hurricane Sandy’s strike on the northeastern United States was one of the most expensive disasters in the nation’s history. None of these however were unprecedented.
Despite congressional investigations into the corruption and poor handling of his various ‘green’ initiatives and their questionable benefit, Obama promised his administration will stay the course.
The president said, “The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise.”
“We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.”
~ President Barack Obama’s commentary on climate change, Second inaugural address, January 21, 2013
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