Obama launches Facebook page, sends message on climate
Nov 09, 2015
The White House launched a Facebook page on Monday for President Barack Obama and used the social media platform to send a message on climate change.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House launched a Facebook page on Monday for President Barack Obama and used the social media platform to send a message on climate change.
Organizing for Action, the political organization that helped elect Obama, has long used an account under the name "Barack Obama." But the new page allows the president to speak in the first person, much like the Twitter account the White House launched for Obama in May.
Striking a conversational tone, Obama's first post was a video message on climate change that depicted the president walking around the South Lawn of the White House and marveling at the beauty of nature.
"Hello, Facebook! I finally got my very own page," Obama said in the post. "I'm kicking it off by inviting you to take a walk with me in my backyard - something I try to do at the end of the day before I head in for dinner."
In the video, Obama called on Americans to do their part to fight climate change.
Hello, Facebook! I finally got my very own page. I hope you’ll think of this as a place where we can have real conversations about the most important issues facing our country – a place where you can hear directly from me, and share your own thoughts and stories. (You can expect some just-for-fun stuff, too.)I’m kicking it off by inviting you to take a walk with me in my backyard – something I try to do at the end of the day before I head in for dinner. I say this often, but that’s because it’s always at the front of my mind: We’ve got to preserve this beautiful planet of ours for our kids and grandkids. And that means taking serious steps to address climate change once and for all. Now, we've made a lot of progress to cut carbon pollution here at home, and we're leading the world to take action as well. But we’ve got to do more. In a few weeks, I’m heading to Paris to meet with world leaders about a global agreement to meet this challenge.I hope you'll join me in speaking out on climate change and educating your friends about why this issue is so important. At a time when nearly three in four adults online use Facebook, this feels like a great place to do it. Share your thoughts in the comments, and pass this message on to folks you think need to see it.If we're all in this together, I'm confident we can solve this and do right by future generations.
Posted by President Obama on Monday, November 9, 2015
"I want to make sure that the whole world is able to pass onto future generations the God-given beauty of this planet," Obama said, citing his upcoming trip to Paris to meet with world leaders on climate change.
"If all of America is joining around this critical project, then we can have confidence that we're doing right by future generations and passing onto our kids all the blessings that we've received," Obama said.