During his eight years in office, President Barack Obama may have been the first U.S. leader to seriously address one of the major environmental issues of our time -- climate change. This from Elizabeth Shogren, a correspondent for High Country News, which reports on the American West. According to Shogren, there were many notable accomplishments during Obama's tenure, including designating more than two dozen national monuments -- more than any other president.
At the same time, however, Shogren says all of the changes weren't positive. Obama weakened the Endangered Species Act and left some key public lands unprotected.
Whatever one's impression of Obama's environmental approach, and his legacy in the West, Shogren adds that many of his actions are in danger of being overturned by the Trump administration. The president-elect has questioned the validity of climate change and recently the Republican-controlled Congress voted to make it easier to transfer control of public lands away from the federal government.
Shogren spoke with Colorado Matters host Nathan Heffel.
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