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            Obama Visits Arctic Community, Highlights Climate Change

   by Candace Williams, William Gallo

   U.S. President Barack Obama becomes the first sitting president to
   visit a community north of the U.S. Arctic Circle Wednesday as he wraps
   up a three-day Alaska trip aimed at highlighting the effects of climate
   change.

   Obama will travel to Kotzebue, a small town of about 3,100 that is
   battling coastal erosion caused by rising seas.  He will announce new
   initiatives aimed at responding to the unique challenges facing remote
   Alaskan communities, according to the White House.  Those initiatives
   are expected to include tools to help communities understand and
   prepare for future climate change.

   President Obama's highly choreographed trip across Alaska aims to build
   support for his environmental policies to combat climate change.  Some
   U.S. lawmakers oppose those policies, saying the threat of climate
   change has been exaggerated.

   ''Glacier hike
   On Tuesday, the president used the backdrop of a rapidly melting
   Alaskan glacier to highlight the effects of climate change, as he
   continued his landmark visit to the far northwestern U.S. state.

   "This is as good a sign post of what we are dealing with, when it comes
   to climate change, than anything," Obama said, standing in front of the
   Exit Glacier, which has receded two kilometers over the last two
   centuries.

   Climate change has resulted in winters with less snow and hotter
   summers, melting polar ice and raising sea levels, Obama said. "It
   sends a message about the urgency we are going to need to have when it
   comes to dealing with this," he added.

   The president took a scenic boat tour in Resurrection Bay in Alaska's
   Kenai Peninsula.  He also filmed a filmed a segment with reality
   television host and survivalist Bear Grylls.

   Obama's trip has not only highlighted concerns over global warming,
   security and energy, but issues of shipping, mineral exploration and
   fishing. All are intertwined, and each is of vital global interest.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-visiting-arctic-community-to-hi
   ghlight-climate-change/2942309.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-visiting-arctic-community-to-highlight-climate-change/2942309.html