Sustainable energy, climate change included in inaugural address

President Barack Obama has officially kicked off the second term of his presidency. During his inaugural address on Jan. 21, Obama touched on several topics, including the economic recovery, the need for collective action to overcome obstacles, and clean energy.

Regarding energy, the president stressed the importance of America to take the lead. “The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult,” he said. “But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. That’s how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure—our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.”

Obama also addressed climate change in his speech. “We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity,” 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.”