Obamas Alaska visit showcases climate hypocrisy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Obama begins a three-day trip to Alaska today, to view how climate change is already having adverse impacts on the state and discuss ways to address them. In his weekly address, he described the sea level rise, erosion, and melting glaciers as wake-up calls for the rest of the nation and the world. The president said he is committed to working with Alaskans and global leaders gathering at the Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic this week to lead the global effort to address the threats of climate change. Earlier this month, the Obama administration gave Shell the final permit needed to break ground in the American Arctic Ocean in the search for oil and gas. According to a recent climate study, Arctic oil and gas are unburnable in order to have a chance at avoiding climate catastrophe.
Friends of the Earth Climate Campaigner Marissa Knodel issued the following response:
President Obama’s visit to Alaska puts a spotlight on his climate hypocrisy. Rubber-stamping Shell’s reckless pursuit for Arctic oil and gas is antithetical to calling for climate action. By allowing these unburnable fossil fuels to be developed, President Obama is making the adverse climate impacts that Alaska is experiencing worse, not better. If President Obama wants to be a true climate leader, he needs to disavow his “all of the above” energy plan and keep Arctic oil and gas in the ground.
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Expert contact: Marissa Knodel, (202) 222-0729, [email protected]
Communications contact: Kate Colwell, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]