Submerged countries, abandoned cities and floods of refugees await the world barring urgent action on climate change, President Barack Obama warned, painting a doomsday scenario as he began a visit to Alaska.
In a bid to further his environmental legacy, Mr Obama brought the power of the presidential pulpit to Anchorage and called on other nations to take swift action as negotiations for a global climate treaty near a close.
In a speech to an Arctic climate summit, the president sought to set the tone for a three-day tour of Alaska - including the first visit by a sitting president above the Arctic Circle - that will put the state’s liquefying glaciers and sinking villages on graphic display.
