In his press conference today, President Obama not only broke the much discussed “silence” on climate change—he also showed he’s been giving serious thought to how to move forward on the issue over the next four years.
In response to a question from New York Times White House correspondent Mark Landler, the president confirmed his belief that climate change is real and driven by humans, and implied that it has something to do with recent extreme weather. He went on to say that an “education process” is needed to get Americans on board with long term solutions to climate change—a “conversation across the country” that, he suggested, he would be leading.
At the same time, the President also mentioned that more “short term” solutions may be in the offing, perhaps referring to a variety of potential regulatory steps by the Environmental Protection Agency. Notably, President Obama also promised any long term climate solution would be bipartisan.
But, most of all, he promised a lot less climate silence. “You’ll hear more from me in the coming months and years” on the issue, he said.
