Earth Day, 2013

Proclamation 8962 of April 19, 2013

Earth Day, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

As the world's technological leader and home to some of
its most breathtaking natural wonders, America has a
special responsibility to safeguard our environment. On
Earth Day, we celebrate our rich legacy of stewardship
and reflect on what we can do, as individuals and as a
Nation, to preserve our planet for future generations.

The first Earth Day marked a renewal of America's
global leadership in conservation. It began as a
national discussion on pollution and came to embody a
simple truth: that nothing is more powerful than
millions of voices calling for change. In only a few
years, those voices rang as clear in our laws as on our
streets--from the creation of the Environmental
Protection Agency to landmark legislation for clean air
and water. These successes continue to bring health and
prosperity to communities nationwide, demonstrating
that our economy can grow alongside a healthy
environment.

As environmental challenges evolve with a changing
world, my Administration is committed to meeting them.
During my first term, we launched the America's Great
Outdoors initiative, made historic progress restoring
precious ecosystems, and finalized standards to curb
toxic emissions from power plants. Implementing these
standards will help prevent thousands of premature
deaths each year by substantially reducing mercury and
other pollutants.

We have made real progress, but we cannot stop there.
We cannot afford to ignore what the overwhelming
judgment of science tells us: that climate change is
real and that it poses an urgent threat to our people
and our planet. That is why my Administration set
historic fuel efficiency standards that will nearly
double how far our cars go on a gallon of gas while
reducing harmful carbon pollution. It is why we made
unprecedented investments in clean energy, allowing us
to double renewable energy production in only 4 years.
And it is why I am challenging Americans to double it
again by 2020.

Because climate change and other environmental problems
cannot be fully addressed by government alone, we are
also engaging key stakeholders at home and abroad. Last
year, we launched a global initiative to cut short-
lived climate pollutants that contribute to global
warming. We have proposed historic investments in Land
and Water Conservation Fund programs. And we continue
to stand behind innovators and entrepreneurs who will
unleash the next wave of clean energy technologies and
drive long-term economic growth. At the same time, we
are working to protect our communities and our economy
from the unavoidable effects of climate change that we
are already starting to feel.

Today, America is sending less carbon pollution into
the environment than we have in nearly 20 years. But we
owe it to our children to do more. That is why I have
called on the Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-
based solution to climate change. In the meantime, I
will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive
actions to reduce pollution, prepare our communities
for the consequences of climate change, and speed our
transition to sustainable energy.

More than four decades after the first Earth Day,
millions of Americans have answered the call to protect
the environment. Today, let us do so again by joining
together, raising our voices, and standing up for our
planet and our future.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim April 22, 2013, as
Earth Day. I encourage all Americans to participate in
programs and activities that will protect our
environment and contribute to a healthy, sustainable
future.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.