Prez Obama appears to be really trying to reach the public re: climate change. He gave his usual good speech about the subject on Earth Day, but this one suspects his most convincing point on climate change may be a simple recitation of some personal facts.
As he said yesterday:
Just last weekend, Michelle and I took the girls for a hike in a national park… As we were walking a trail along the Everglades, we saw a group of school kids — couldn’t have been more excited about mostly seeing the gators, not seeing me — (laughter) — but also learning about the science of the planet that they live on. And I want every child to have that opportunity.
So starting this fall, we’re going to give every fourth grader in America an “Every Kid In A Park” pass, and that’s a pass good for free admission to all our public lands for you, your families for an entire year. (Applause.) Because no matter who you are, no matter where you live, our parks, our monuments, our lands, our waters — these places are your birthright as Americans.
And today, I’m designating America’s newest national historic landmark, the Marjory Stoneham Douglas House in Miami, so that future generations will know how this amazing woman helped conserve the Everglades for all of us. (Applause.)
We all have a stake in the future — that's his point, which may benefit from going mostly unstated.
Obama also can be pretty blunt, as in his speech yesterday, chiding Florida for not letting state officials discuss climate change. (They've denied the charge, but it's been documented.)
Tom Toles sketched his take on the subject, which he left as an outtake — but it's still worth citing.
Kit Stolz 