Presidents and the Environment Hot Topic Since 1960s

President Obama stressed the importance of making proactive efforts to change the effects of climate change in his recent inaugural address. According to E Magazine, Obama has made very direct references to climate change and its effects on the environment since his previous election in 2008, promising to tackle climate change.

At his inauguration this past month, he said, “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.”

The article in E Magazine goes on to report on how human-induced climate change is having major impacts on the environment—as well as increased storms, sea level rise, Arctic ice melt, and wildfires. It also points out that a healthy environment is highly correlated to a healthy economy.

Texas A&M University Press authors Byron W. Daynes and Glen Sussman focus on this issue in their recent book White House Politics and the Environment. They examine how Presidents and their administrations since the 1960s have become increasingly active in environmental politics, despite their touted lack of expertise and their apparent frequent discomfort with the issue. Check out more on their new book here.