President Obama is off to Alaska today for a three-day trip that is almost entirely focused on climate change. His visit is very much designed to highlight Alaska’s extraordinary scenery and the already-visible effects of climate change there – melting glaciers and permafrost, and rising sea levels.
It will be the first time a sitting U.S. president visits the Alaskan Arctic. Before taking off, Obama announced that he is using his executive powers to rename Mount McKinley – the highest peak in the country – Denali, its traditional Native Alaskan name.
Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins talks with Zachariah Hughes, a reporter with Alaska Public Media, about how the president’s visit, and the renaming of Denali, are reverberating among Alaskans.
Guest
- Zachariah Hughes, reporter for Alaska Public Media. He tweets @ZachHughesAK.
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