President Obama is visiting Alaska to talk climate: Here's what you need to know
President Obama is visiting Alaska today to put a spotlight on the realities of climate change and to forge his climate legacy. But less than two weeks ago, he granted Shell final approval to drill for oil in Alaska's Chukchi Sea.
We're as confused by that logic as you are.
That's not the only layer of irony here. The oil deep in Arctic waters is only accessible because of melting ice caused by climate change.
The fact that President Obama thinks he can forge a climate legacy while allowing Arctic drilling shows that he isn't in tune with the demands of people around the United States and the world to keep Arctic oil in the ground.
Whether simply ironic or downright hypocritical, what's clear is that President Obama's rhetoric on climate change is not matching up to his actions. You can write a letter to tell President Obama what true climate leadership looks like.
Here are four statements from President Obama himself that make it perfectly clear why climate leadership cannot include Arctic drilling:
