Trump breaks with Obama, leaves out climate change in Earth Day statement

President Donald Trump released an official statement Saturday commemorating Earth Day, but did not directly reference climate change, marking a shift from past administrations.

"Americans are rightly grateful for these God-given gifts and have an obligation to safeguard them for future generations. My Administration is committed to keeping our air and water clean, to preserving our forests, lakes, and open spaces, and to protecting endangered species," reads the official White House statement.

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However the president's message on the 47th annual worldwide day urging people to "build a global citizenry fluent in the concepts of climate change and aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet," failed to directly mention climate change.

Instead, the president defended his administration's environmental plans, saying, "Rigorous science is critical to my Administrations efforts to achieve the twin goals of economic growth and environmental protection."

Click through images from March for Science around the world:

"My Administration is committed to advancing scientific research that leads to a better understanding of our environment and of environmental risks," Trump's statement reads.

In former President Obama's final Earth Day statement in 2016 climate change was the primary focus and is mentioned by name throughout the message--five times to be exact.

"Just as the people who came together on Earth Day in 1970 embraced their responsibility to preserve our planet, today we face a threat that also requires collective action," said Obama.

"Human activity is disrupting the climate, and the challenge of combating climate change is one that will define the contours of our time. The effects of climate change are already evident in stronger storms, deeper droughts, more rapidly eroding soil, and longer wildfire seasons -- and as of last year, 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since 2000."

The last Republican in office, President George W. Bush, also cited the environmental epidemic in his final Earth Day statement: "We are taking positive steps to confront the important challenge of climate change. Our work is not done."

"We also have a responsibility to pass on to future generations our commitment to the environment," said Bush in 2007.

During his presidency Bush only explicitly cited climate change once in his Earth Day statements, while Obama did so every year with the exception of two election years: 2010 (midterms) and 2012.

Trump's dismissal of the issue shouldn't come as a major surprise, in the past the president has called evidence supporting man-made climate change a "hoax" and "bulls***."

"I'm not a believer in man-made global warming. It could be warming, and it's going to start to cool at some point," said Trump during the 2016 campaign. "But the problem we have, and if you look at our energy costs, and all of the things that we're doing to solve a problem that I don't think in any major fashion exists."

Trump closed out his first official statement on Earth Day as president of the United States by saying, "This April 22nd, as we observe Earth Day, I hope that our Nation can come together to give thanks for the land we all love and call home."