Americans should embrace their national parks as symbols of the planet’s beauty and history—and help protect them from the ravages of climate change, President Barack Obama said Saturday during an exclusive interview with National Geographic in Yosemite National Park.
Strolling through a forested stretch of Yosemite’s lush valley, below towering granite cliffs and North America's tallest waterfall, the president spoke wistfully about how parks can inspire young minds, bring families together and be a reminder of the need to respond to climate change. The Hawaii-born president recounted one of his favorite childhood memories—a trip to the mainland with his mother and grandmother when he was 11 that included a trip to Yellowstone National Park—and said he was envious of nature-lover Teddy Roosevelt, who frequently disappeared into the woods during his presidency more than a century ago, and became a leader in protecting America’s wild places.
“One of the things that binds us together is we only have one planet and climate change is probably the biggest threat – not only to natural wonders like this—but to the well-being of billions of people, coastal cities, agricultural communities that can be displaced in the span of a few decades by changes in temperatures that mean more drought, more wildfires,” said Obama, who was one of the driving forces behind a new international agreement that seeks to curb the growth of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Part of why it’s so important for us to raise awareness (about climate change) with the general public is: This is a solvable problem,” he added.