Refusing to Talk About Climate Change Doesn't Mean It's Not Happening, Says Obama in Earth Day Speech

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In an Earth Day speech delivered against the backdrop of the Florida Everglades, President Obama took a swipe at climate deniers and highlighted his administration's efforts to reign in greenhouse gas emissions.

"Climate change can no longer be denied, it can't be edited out, it can't be omitted from the conversation," he said.

Those comments can be interpreted as a jab at the states of Florida and Wisconsin. Employees of Florida's Department of Environmental Protection alleged earlier this year that their superiors told them to refrain from using the terms  "climate change," "global warming," sustainability" and "sea level rise." The order, they say, came after Republican Rick Scott was elected governor.

In Wisconsin, the state's Board of Commissioners of Public Land passed a prohibition on employees working on climate change issues during work hours.

In Florida, Governor Rick Scott denies issuing a ban. But, in Wisconsin, a spokesperson for Governor Scott Walker said the board's prohibition was "not unreasonable."

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama)April 22, 2015

Obama delivered his speech from the state that's most vulnerable to sea level rise, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI). Miami has more assets at risk of coastal flooding than any other city in the United States, with $38 billion worth of property sitting less than three feet above sea level.

"Action can no longer be delayed," Obama said. "That's why I've committed the US to lead the world in combating this threat."

In southeast Florida, sea levels have already risen 12 inches since 1870, and are expected to rise another nine to 24 inches by 2060, according to WRI.

And that salty ocean water is encroaching upon the aquifer that supplies drinking water to millions of Floridians.

"South Florida, you're getting your drinking water from this area," Obama said, turning around to gesture at the landscape behind him. "It depends on this."

The president identified climate change as a risk to Florida's $82 billion tourism industry, about $22 billion of which comes from Miami alone, according to WRI.

All of this makes the Everglades a prime spot for Obama to make his case to state and local politicians, said Bob Deans, a director with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

"I hope that the governor of Florida and I hope that the governors of all of our states are listening carefully to the message so that they will be able to come up with their own plans," Deans told VICE News. "State action is critical."

Related: Here's how much Obama says the US will cut carbon pollution

Obama's speech came amidst a series of climate and environment-related announcements from the White House. On Tuesday, the Department of Energy released its first-ever Quadrennial Energy Review, a report that called for an overhaul of the nation's energy infrastructure, and the Department of Interior announced plans for removing invasive species, increasing flood storage capacity, and rebuilding coral reefs around the country. On Monday, the administration pledged $25 million for the nation's parks.

But many groups concerned about climate change criticize the president for talking about the need to act on climate change, on one hand, and pursuing an "all of the above" energy strategy, on the other, which encourages oil and natural gas extraction.

"It feels like for every one step he takes forward on climate change he takes a half step back, and that's really frustrating," 350.org's Karthik Ganapathy told VICE News. "He's still playing hot potato with a really live and dangerous issue. He allowed drilling offshore along the Atlantic Ocean at the same time that he's talking a really big game on climate."

In November, Obama pledged to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by up to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. He faces deep opposition in Congress to his climate agenda and is pursuing his climate policies primarily through executive action.

Senator James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, chairs the Committee on Environment and Public Works, which oversees the US Environmental Protection Agency, the department spearheading the administration's climate regulations.

"On the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, we should celebrate the great strides our nation has made in improving our environment," Inhofe said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the Obama administration continues to downplay these successes, instead focusing its rhetoric and resources towards trying to solve the theory of manmade global warming with extremely costly regulations."

Obama expressed confidence, however, that regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and incentives for clean energy technologies can spurn economic growth.

"I'm confident that we can be and will be the benefactors of a brighter future for our children and grandchildren," he said.

Related: This likely GOP candidate for president says the world needs to reduce carbon emissions

Follow Laura Dattaro on Twitter: @ldattaro