HONOLULU (AP) – The Midway Atoll, a far-flung speck of coral reef halfway between Asia and North America, is the eye-catching backdrop for President Barack Obama’s latest call for environmental protection.
Few Americans have ever visited Midway, with its black-footed albatrosses and spinner dolphins – and that’s exactly Obama’s point. As he nears the end of his presidency, he’s creating the world’s largest stretch of protected waters in a legacy-polishing move. Obama has sought to use the wonder of natural treasures to instill his pleas for climate action and conservation with a sense of real-life urgency.
Speaking to leaders of Pacific island nations ahead of his trip Thursday, Obama said that 7,000 species live in the waters of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, and he’s increasing protection for the area four-fold. One in four the species there are found nowhere else in the world.
“Ancient islanders believed it contained the boundary between this life and the next,” Obama said. “This is a hallowed site, and it deserves to be treated that way. And from now on, it will be preserved for future generations.”
Hopping to Midway on a morning flight from Honolulu, Obama was to land on an airstrip that gained prominence half a century ago, when the Battle of Midway became a turning point in World War II. He planned to spend the afternoon touring the island, getting briefed by conservation officials and interacting with the wildlife, the White House said.