Remember President Obama’s speech on race that he gave during his presidential campaign? It was widely praised as being a very important speech. During the health care insurance bill campaign, he traveled the country giving speeches about the need for change and reform in health care, and got huge public support (for a very poor bill). Obama is a very gifted speaker, no doubt about that. That’s why he needs to use his oratory gifts to gain public support for serious action on climate change. Why hasn’t he done that yet? All this important issue gets from the President is mentions here and there.

Given its importance, climate change needs its own speech.  President Obama has to be honest with the American people.  I recently heard an environmental author say that the U.S.  Republican Party is the only major organization in the world that denies climate change and actively works against action on it.  That has to change, and it will only change if the President gets behind a real effort to do something about it instead of sweeping it under a rug.

After the last Climate Files podcast, in which I said Obama has to give that climate change speech, it appeared, as if by magic a few days later. I know it’s not related to what I said, but it was pretty great timing. Here it is, from Climate Progress and their guest writer, Bill Becker*.

Like the BP disaster, the extreme weather events occurring worldwide offer a Sputnik moment to focus attention on the urgent need to address climate change. Here is the speech I’d love to see Obama give in a special session of Congress, perhaps on Earth Day.

The setting: In a major departure from protocol, several guests take seats behind the President, alongside Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker John Boehner. They are Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu; NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco; the President’s principal science advisor, Dr. John Holdren; NASA’s Dr. James Hansen; and two scientists from the private sector – Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and coauthor of the World Bank’s 2010 World Development Report, and Dr. Robert Correll, head of the U.S. office of the Global Energy Assessment. Taking a seat next to them is Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in full uniform.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

In my State of the Union address 3 months ago, I called this America’s Sputnik moment. I proposed that by 2035, we obtain 80 percent of our energy from clean technologies. I talked about how our genius for innovation is the key to the future of our country. Our economic security depends on it.

Tonight I want to talk as Commander and Chief, and as the chief executive officer of some of the [...]