America has “the technological innovation and scientific imagination” to fight climate change and other environmental threats, President Obama says. But he warns that the country is not ready to abandon fossil fuels and must prepare for ecological changes to come.

As the nation celebrated Earth Day, Obama agreed to answer, in written form, ten questions from National Geographic on environmental topics. In his answers, the president insists he will take action if Congress doesn’t tackle public health threats. He also says he is offering federal assistance to California to find solutions to store more water and is trying inventive ways to combat illegal fishing of sharks, turtles, and other ocean life through international trade agreements. (Read about why Obama