As the United Nations prepares to deal with a series of global crises ranging from ebola to ISIS, President Barack Obama told world leaders Tuesday that climate change is the issue that poses the greatest threat to the future of all nations.
“For all the immediate challenges we gather to address this week -- terrorism, instability, inequality, disease -- there is one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate,” Obama said at the U.N. climate summit.
Obama used his address at a the summit to pledge U.S. leadership in the area of climate change and announce that America will now take into account its impact when investing overseas. The U.S. will also share data and research to help protect vulnerable populations from the effects of global warming.
“We recognize our role in creating this problem, we embrace our responsibility to combat,” Obama said. “We will do our part and we will help developing nations do theirs.”
IN-DEPTH
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-- Andrew Rafferty
