Wausau Man Hopes Pope’s Visit Sparks Action On Climate Change

A Wausau native who attended the White House reception for the Pope Wednesday morning said he hopes the meeting will compel Congress to act on climate change.

Daniel Speckhard is a Wausau West graduate, a former ambassador to Greece and deputy ambassador to Iraq, and is now president of Lutheran World Relief, an organization that deals with global poverty.

Speckhard said he was inspired as he watched the pope’s meeting with President Barack Obama, and hopes Congress reacts to their concerns about climate change.

“It was a very moving experience to see these two leaders come together around some common issues that are very important to me now: the challenges that the poor are facing adapting to climate change,” he said.

He added: “We’re working around the world, and we see this in really almost all the countries we’re working in. Droughts used to come every 10 years. They’re now coming every other year.”

Speckhard said climate change is contributing to the world’s refugee crisis, which makes it a major issue in the work he does: Lutheran World Relief was created following World War II with a mission of helping refugees in Europe.