President Joe Biden will kick off a series of visits pitching his climate program in the southwestern United States on Monday, which has seen a torrid summer of record-breaking heat.
His first stop on his tour will be in the Grand Canyon in Arizona, where he is expected to declare a new national monument, according to multiple US media reports.
The statement effectively prohibits uranium mining in the area, a ban sought by local Native American tribes for decades.
The trip will be used by Biden, who is seeking for re-election, to “highlight how his administration has made historic investments in climate, conservation, and clean energy,” according to the White House.
He’ll also spend Tuesday in Arizona before heading to neighboring New Mexico the next day.
This summer, both states and the surrounding region have endured extreme heat waves, with Arizona’s capital Phoenix marking the hottest month ever for a US city in July.
Scientists warn that global warming is causing heat waves to become hotter, longer, and more common.
