At Lake Tahoe, Obama links conservation to climate change

Standing beneath the forest-green peaks of the Sierra Nevada, President Obama drew a connection Wednesday between conservation efforts and stopping global warming, describing the two environmental challenges as inseparably linked.

Scientists believe an array of factors such as storm-water runoff, car traffic and nearby construction have fueled the loss of clarity in the alpine lake, leading to major investments over the last 20 years by Congress, private groups, local authorities and the states of California and Nevada.

The latest threat to the lake — warming temperatures that have altered the underwater physics — dovetails with Obama’s emphasis on how America’s most treasured natural wonders are already suffering the consequences of climate change.

Unveiling modest new steps to preserve the lake and its region, the White House said the Interior Department would spend nearly $30 million on wildfire prevention in the area, while other agencies would work on storm-water management, algae monitoring and geothermal energy exploration.

The setting provides Obama a chance to emphasize a theme he’s returned to frequently in his climate campaign: that remote islands are the most vulnerable to rising sea levels and should help lead the fight to slow global warming.