jobs. we can solve it in a way that doesn't disrupt our economy but enhances our economy. and it's a bipartisan issue. on the way in i was talking to some folks about the fact that teddy roosevelt is a republican. the impacts of climate change and that we need to do something about it. this is not something that historically should be a part son issue.

the type of mission that americans from all walks of life are taking on from the ceos of some of our biggest cooperations and utilities to student organizations across the country. they know that schismimply refusing to say the words climate change doesn't mean that climate change isn't happening. [applause] [applause]. >> we do that in life make sure people are prepared for climate change. protecting the one planet we've got. is what we have to do for the next generation. i want my daughters not only to be able to enjoy this amazing

view. i want my grandchildren, long time from now, to enjoy this amazing view. and their children and their children after that. that's what we do as americans. take responsibility and leave behind for our children something special. we are blessed with the most beautiful god given landscape in the world. it's an incredible bounty. [applause]. >> that's been given to us. but we've got to be good stewards for it. we have to take care of it. we only get to enjoy things like our amazing national parks because great americans like teddy roosevelt and marjorie douglas and a bunch of ordinary folks whose names are not in the history books. they fought to protect our national inheritance. now it's our turn to ensure that this remains the birth right of all americans for generations to

come. so many people here are active in your communities doing what's needed. the young people who are here the next generation. they're way ahead of us. just make sure we're not disappointed and stand up and do what's right before it's too late. thank you very much everybody. thank you. [applause]. there we have a president obama at the everglades on this earth day talking about climate change and its impact not just on the environment but also on the economy. the president taking some time here to shake hands. let's bring in our senior washington correspondent. we're trying to juggle things.

the president was actually early for this event today. give us a bit of the background on it, what the president was hoping to highlight today on this earth day. >> well tony first of all, he's not the only president who has been chronically late. >> that's true. >> some are more on time than others. we don't know officially and as i was listening to the president, i was checking the pool notes the pool of reporters that travel with the president to see if there was an indication why he was late for this but we do understand our producers in the show room noticed a storm is approaching miami. a thunderstorm. we also expect one here in washington. that could be the reason. we don't have official confirmation of that. fitting for an event that the president is attending on earth day. this is the 45th earth day. its popularity has waxed and waned over that time. but the president, make no

mistake, trying to build an environmental legacy. he has put away more acres for park land than any other president for example. he's done some things that have angered environmentalists on the other hand. when you act on the environment if you're the president, there are going to be advocates on both sides who say you're doing the wrong thing and certainly the president has been in sort of a no win situation on that score as well. recently enacted rules or announced rules on fracking for example, that the president has put fourth angered environmentalists, the business community, that has been the patterned all along. we still have the decision on keystone looming. obviously a hot button issue on both sides. the canadian government applying their pressure and of course the environmental community dead set against that. the president, you're right, tony making the case. that the everglades is not simply an issue about the environment. it is an economic issue as well.

the everglades generating millions of dollars in tourism supplying millions of dollars -- announcing minor initiatives to try to restore the everglades. >> it is a hot tourist location. >> we're all here because this 1.5 million acres is unlike any place on earth.

it's a place over a million people visited last year alone. the saw grass prairies and forests are home to an incredible diversity of wild life. bald eagles. herons. hundreds of plant species from pine trees to wild orchids. in south florida, you can find alligators and crock dials in the same habitat. i'm told this is a good thing. [laughter]. >> in the words of marjorie douglas who helped preserve this land there are no other everglades in the world. but part of the reason we're here is because climate change is threatening this pressure.

14 of the 15 hottest years on record have fallen on the first 15 years of this century. yes, this winter was cold in parts of our country, including washington. some people in washington hopefully used a snow ball to illustrate that fact but around the world in the ago it was the warmest winter ever recorded. this is not a problem for another generation. not anymore. this is a problem now. it has serious implications for the way we live right now. stronger storms deeper droughts. longer wild fire seasons. the world's top climate scientists are warning that a changing climate already affects the air that our children are

breathing. the pentagon says that climate change poses an increasing set of risks to our national security. and here in the everglades you can see the effect of a changing climate. sea levels rise salty water from ocean flows inward. this harms fresh water wild life. which endangers the fragile eco ecosystem. that's the drinking water of 7 million people in florida. south florida, you're getting your drinking water from this area. and it depends on this. and in terms of economic impact all of this poses risks to

florida's $82 billion tourism industry on which so many good jobs and livelihoods depend. so climate change can no longer be denied. >> there it is from the president earlier today inside the hour from everglades national park in florida. mike you started to list some of the areas where the president is beefing up his legacy in this area of climate change and the environment and you made me think of november as we look at the skies over homestead, florida. i think you're right, they're trying to get air force one out of florida before that and everything that's in that rolls into their direction.

>> it's part of a theme that the president has struck since the midterms. remember he said he was going to use his pen, phone, but he certainly axel accelerated that in congress certainly to the ire of congress and that includes his announcement about a year ago around memorial day to cap carbon emissions in this country. majorly anticipated event that the president set forth rules to do that. of course, met with an irate audience from the coal industry and the leader of the senate now, the majority leader mitch mcconnell who, of course comes from coal country who used that in november to help take control of the senate away from the democrats. so sometimes it backfires on the president. you mentioned the president's trip to china, meeting with the

chinese president and announcing that china for the first time ever was going to be setting targets to meet goal limitations or coal fired plants or carbon emissions as a whole at some point in the future as memory serves by 2030. the problem with that of course is it's left very ambiguous. china has not agreed to many specific goals and they could disappear like so much carbon dust if you pardon the pun. the president believes he can build a legacy as a green president. a few weeks ago, i had an opportunity to ask josh earnest as the daily briefing at the white house in the face of a lot of disappointment on the part of environmentalists about the president's legacy what they considered a mixed record whether the president could be considered a green president and josh earnest said this is the greenest president in history

and more to that point, after the president made announce president earlier this month, another environmental announcement, here's a little bit of what we said at the time about some of the environmental community's disappointment with the environmental record. >>reporter: it's not just the direct cost to the environment says president obama but climate change is a danger to human health. >> there is a whole host of public health impacts that will hit home. >>reporter: mr. obama says climate change can contribute to asthma allergies, and heat related deaths. a coordinated effort by a president who has invested political and financial capital into building a green legacy. and incentives like tax credits

but environmentalists see two sides. the one who set lofty goals as he did in 2013. >> the question now is whether we will have the courage to contact before it's too late. >>reporter: and another mr. obama who has not fulfilled the promise. >> but then he lets us down and does things such as opening up new lands for leasing and encouraging more fossil fuel exports so he has been a real disappointment unfortunately. we would have really liked to have seen more especially considering his great rhetoric. critics cite new export licenses for natural gas and increases in crude oil exports. in response the white house says the president's record speaks for itself. >> has the president done all that he can to address climate change? >> i think that is an indication of the president's conviction on this issue. but it's also why the president is going to go down in history as the greenest president we've

ever had. >>reporter: polls suggest alternative energy is viewed as a more important priority than expanding the exploration and production of fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. american manufacturers say the spate of new rules makes it harder to compete. >> very large costs with correspondingly not so large benefits. the balance is off making it harder for us to do our job. >>reporter: new administration rules on fracking have angered advocates on both sides but not all environmentalists are down on mr. obama for his record. >> we do think that oil and gas drilling is not something that's going to end today or tomorrow and it's something we should do responsibly meaning action. that's not going to happen by

itself. the results have been a mixed bag. >> on the other hand it's just not nearly enough but it's also really bad things for the environment as well. >> tony perhaps one of the biggest failings i think you could call it by the obama administration on the environment is the administration's failure to push through something that the president promised he would do as he campaigned in his first term in 2008 a cap and trade bill. do you remember that? >> oh yeah. >> a big push by the administration to have that done failed in congress even when they had majorities in both the house and senate a 60-vote majority. just simply a bridge too far. and there's little indication of what the president is up against. and to be fair there's a rock solid core of opposition within congress obviously particularly among conservative republicans to what the president wants to do climate change deniers

they're call. many of them well represented in congress. a poll out today by gallup suggests that 37 -- only 37% of conservative republicans think they'll feel the effects of climate change within their lifetimes. every other cohort political strife in this country believes that they will by significant majorities believes they'll be feeling those effects sometime in their lifetime. i don't think many understood cap and trade. it was a difficult concept for folks to wrap their minds around. >> you know when the president arrives 40 minutes early and finishes his remarks, you have time to do some googling. so i've been looking up earth day and i learned that it was established in 1970. i was trying to remember how long ago. >> tony please don't pretend

like you don't remember. honestly. >> you know what i remember? i remember sort of planting sap saplings. but it's come a long way since those early days for sure. >> it has but a lot of people think it's come a long way in the wrong direction. i'm old enough to remember putting saplings and cleaning rivers and picking up garbage and litter from the roadside here in washington in flair particular from the c&o canal national parks. it was a grassroots movement started by a wisconsin democrat gaylord perry. it came in reaction to the 1969 oil spill off the coast of california that fouled the beaches of santa barbara for years. the reaction against that was strong. not only was earth day created, they called it a teach in at that point.

it had a certain degree of spontaneousness about it. it resulted in a whole lot of environmental legislation including the formation of the environmental protection agency itself signed by a conservative republican president, richard nixon. try to imagine that happening today. and as far as the legacy or the spirit of earth day, yes, it has changed like many other things. a lot of people think it has been something coopted by the business community where they can once a year demonstrate their environmental bona fide but nevertheless it's still an important day for the environmental community and for president obama and politicians to make the point they're working on one side or the other on this urgent issue of climate change. there was a little stream across the street from the school in baltimore, maryland. that's what i remember. my goodness.

all the information in that head of yours, mike. let's take a break and come back with more in just a moment. you're watching al jazeera america. america. ruthless smuggleing gangs. they have been discussing for years how to keep the smuggle from happening on sea. and the problem goes far beyond italian waters. further west off the coast of spain 44 africans rescued by coast guards that have come from morocco on a wooden boat. some too exhausted to walk onshore. some so young they may not camp last resort on al jazeera america >> this is the true definition of tough love

>> saudi arabia said that it's campaign against yemen houthi are over because their military objective have been you we're following up on the president's comments today on everglades national park in florida. here he is talking about limiting emissions and the effort to reduce greenhouse gases. >> the steps we've taken are making a difference. we're using more green energy than ever before. america is number one in wind power and last year we generated 20 times more electricity from sunlight than we did in all of 2008. we've committed to doubling the pace at which we cut carbon pollution.

china in part because of our actions has committed for the first time to limit their emissions and this means that there's new hope that this year the world will finally reach an agreement to prevent the worst impacts of climate change before it's too late. we're wasting less energy with more fuel efficient cars saving money at the pump and saving money on our electricity bills. so more clean energy improved energy efficiency. some of these changes are already happening and even if we take the right steps, we'll have

to adapt. that's why we've been working with cities and states to build more resilient infrastructure and restore natural defenses like wetlands. the president there in that portion of his comments is talking about essentially what we've done right, as an administration. what's the president's environmental record as far as your organization is concerned. >> well my organization the blue green alliance consists of labor unions and environmental groups really committed to finding the environmental solutions to both climate change but creating quality jobs.

we believe you don't have to choose between having good jobs and a quality environment. and we believe the president has been a leader on climate change both internationally and nationally and, you know in his statement today in the everglades this renewed commitment to addressing climate change and really addressing it both on a global scale and on a national scale. >> it's interesting. i was talking to our white house correspondent and we were sort of going through a list of some of the president's -- what the president points to is achievements here and i'm wondering because i have not heard you on this what your thoughts are on the november joint announcement with china, right, the president laying out what he calls ambitious but achievable goals to reduce greenhouse gases in the united states by 2025. you know that was a historic outline of an agreement between the two countries. i think there's a lot more that

needs to be done to raise the bar not only with china but other developing countries. i look forward to hearing how the president will progress the talks internationally on the u.n. climate negotiations. >> i'm wondering, earth day 2015 established in 1970 i hit the google button where do you think earth day has gone from those early days its inception, to where it is today. i think 1970 so many years ago with earth day being much more of an organic movement. >> that's right, kim. >> people really -- >> that's right. you're too young but i remember those early days. mike and i were talking about it. we were cleaning upstreams and brooks. >> totally. it was very organic. you know it started in neighborhoods and local communities talking about preserving our earth for the future generation and who knew today that you would have the

president of the united states really talking about the urgent need of climate change and addressing our infrastructure and ensuring that these communities are protected. it also shows the huge environmental implications of climate change and what it will do to communities. i think there's an urgent need for now the movement has grown much larger than neighborhoods and cities. this is across the nation and the world. we need to get down to business to addressing it. >> thank you, kim. appreciate it. thank you for your time. that is all of our time for now. we'll see you back here on al jazeera america at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. see you then. see you then. . >> it clear in the near future if the houthi continue to destabilize the region there may be some small scale operation

or

>> louisiana's bayou, 70 miles southwest of new orleans. this is the heartland of the native american houma tribe. and it's one of the most valuable ecosystems in the entire united states. >> we go to the bayous to provide for our families. everything's there... >> raymond clark's