President of the United States, Barack Obama, was in Oslo, Norway this morning accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, which he won in part for promising to bring the United States to the negotiating table on climate change—something he has recently done.
In his speech Obama spoke briefly about why future peace depends on tackling climate change.
“The world must come together to confront climate change,” he said. “There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, famine and mass displacement that will fuel more conflict for decades. For this reason, it is not merely scientists and activists who call for swift and forceful action – it is military leaders in my country and others who understand that our common security hangs in the balance,” Obama said.
Earlier in the day, after President Obama met with the Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg, the two leaders briefly met with the press where Obama argued that the United States have made big advances since his presidency began less than a year ago on the issue of climate change.
“The United States has done a lot of work this year to transform the way we think about energy and our use back home, and to help to move international climate negotiations forward in an effective way.”
In a rare moment, Obama also spoke about the importance of protecting forests worldwide to combat global warming.
“Prime Minister Stoltenberg and I also discussed how we can work together and with other countries to protect forests—something that he has personally championed and I’m very impressed with the model that has been built between Norway and Brazil that allows for effective monitoring and ensures that we are making progress in avoiding deforestation of the Amazon,” Obama said according to Grist.”And we all understand that it’s probably the most cost-effective way for us to address the issue of climate change—having an effective set of mechanisms in place to avoid further deforestation and hopefully to plant new trees.”
Next week Obama will address the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen where officials from 192 countries are attempting to create an international agreement to combat climate change.
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