Jeff Goodell on "Visiting Alaska with President Obama"

On Friday, March 11th, Jeff Goodell spoke about his visit to Alaska with President Obama. The Rolling Stone contributor editor spoke about his time visiting local villages and discussing the looming issues that catastrophic climate change will have on the United States, specially these local Alaskan villagers who are threatened by sea level rise and erosion. Jeff noted that during the visit Obama was in a noticeably upbeat mood, which was somewhat surprising considering the nature of his visit to Alaska. Nevertheless, the Presidents time in Alaska helped conceptualize the magnitude of the climate problem on both a local and global scale.

 

Jeff Goodell at the Log after his talk.
Jeff Goodell at the Log after his talk.

In addition to flying in Air Force One and meeting a “very friendly salmon”, Jeff also had the opportunity to sit down and interview President Obama and ask important questions related to climate change mitigation, adaptation and policy. Jeff asked the President about his “Oh, S***” moment – or when he personally came to realize the seriousness of the issue, which the President related to his youth in Hawaii and his visits back to his home state to see the impacts of ocean acidification and coral bleaching. Jeff also mentioned how “deeply knowledgeable” President Obama was on the topic of climate change. Coming from a man whose career is dedicated to researching and writing about climate change, Jeff was impressed by the Presidents ability to critically analyze specific scientific articles about climate change, which confirmed that his knowledge was greater than reading summary reports or receiving debriefings. This was an encouraging realization; however, Jeff also acknowledged the incredibly slow political process for national and global climate negotiations. Jeff recognized that Obama has been very strategic during his terms as President, but emphasized that addressing climate change will require swifter action and urged the President to embrace his responsibility in catalyzing change.

 

To read Jeff Goodell’s complete Rolling Stone article please visit: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/obama-takes-on-climate-change-the-rolling-stone-interview-20150923?page=4

 

Also, this video shows some highlights of Jeff’s visit and interview with President Obama : http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/videos/watch-president-obama-discuss-his-climate-crusade-20150923