WASHINGTON — President Obama will travel to New Orleans next week for the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the costliest disasters in United States history.

Mr. Obama will use the Aug. 27 anniversary to promote his administration’s efforts to restore the economy and infrastructure of the region, which include building barriers to protect against a recurrence of the disaster, according to the White House.

The anniversary also comes amid a string of events and rule changes that demonstrate the president’s increasing focus on climate change.

Hurricane Katrina serves as a stark reminder for Mr. Obama of the types of disasters the United States will probably face unless drastic efforts are taken here and internationally to curtail certain kinds of heat-trapping pollution.