President Obama has issued a call to tackle climate change with an appeal to protecting national security. Obama spoke Wednesday in a commencement address to Coast Guard graduates.

President Obama: “Climate change is one of those most severe threats. And this is not just a problem for countries on the coasts or for certain regions of the world. Climate change will impact every country on the planet. No nation is immune. So I’m here today to say that climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security. And make no mistake: It will impact how our military defends our country. And so we need to act, and we need to act now.”