In an address to world leaders at the State Department-sponsored GLACIER conference in Anchorage, Alaska last night, President Barack Obama spoke in no uncertain terms about the need to put an end to the "urgent and growing threat of a changing climate."

The President is in Alaska to talk about climate change this week, because, he says, the Arctic is "the leading indicator of what the climate faces." He noted that over the last 60 years, Alaska has warmed about twice as fast as the rest of the US. Warming waters have affected local fishing economies, and rising sea levels have put Alaskans at an increased risk of flooding.

Meanwhile, as the state's permafrost thaws, the President said, it's threatening homes and damaging infrastructure, not to mention leaking harmful gasses into the atmosphere. "That could mean the Arctic could become a new source of emissions that further accelerates global warming," President Obama said.

He reprimanded those who would criticize taking action on climate change for economic reasons. "The irony, of course, is few things will disrupt our lives as profoundly as climate change," the President said. "Few things can have as negative an impact on our economy as climate change."

This speech follows last month's announcement of the President's Clean Power Plan, an ambitious set of environmental regulations that aim to drastically reduce carbon emissions by 2030. It's clear that in the last year of his presidency, Obama is working hard to make addressing climate change a crucial part of his legacy and to ensure the next President takes up the fight, as well.

Here's POTUS's speech in full:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FvIrlaXU28A