NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — President Barack Obama says climate change deniers are endangering national security.

Obama says the planet is getting warmer even though some in Washington refuse to admit climate change is real.

Obama was speaking Wednesday in the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

He says increasingly the military has to deal with the impact of global warming. He says it’s a serious threat to national security and will impact how the military defends the United States.

He says refusing to act is “a dereliction of duty” and undermines the readiness of U.S. forces.