President Obama warned that the historic flood levels in North Dakota today are a clear sign that urgent steps need to be taken to stop climate change. Hopefully he can use that evidence to rally support from Congress so he doesn’t have to delay signing the new international agreement on climate change in Copenhagen later this year, because that would be a terrible set back.  Severe blizzards and heavy rain raised the water of the Red River around 33 feet this morning, and if conditions continue to worsen the flooding could threaten the 99,000 residents of Fargo. Obama acknowledged the severity of the situation and what the implications are for the climate crisis overall in an exclusive press meeting:

I actually think the science around climate change is real. It is potentially devastating.

If you look at the flooding that’s going on right now in North Dakota and you say to yourself, ‘If you see an increase of 2 degrees, what does that do, in terms of the situation there?’ that indicates the degree to which we have to take this seriously.

As horrible as the situation is, it’s certainly reassuring to hear the President demand a proactive approach to a very real threat.  Watch this video to see some of the devastation experienced by North Dakota residents today:

takepart by learning how you can help flood victims with the American Red Cross and learn what you can do to help solve the climate crisis.