President Barack Obama is trying to frame climate change as a make-or-break political issue, urging Americans to vote only for those who will protect the country from environmental harm.

He says people in the United States already are paying a price for climate change, including in lost lives and hundreds of billions of dollars.

“If you agree with me, I’ll need you to act,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. “Remind everyone who represents you, at every level of government, that there is no contradiction between a sound environment and a strong economy — and that sheltering future generations against the ravages of climate change is a prerequisite for your vote.”

In his remarks released Saturday but recorded at the White House before his trip to Africa, Obama is trying to persuade the public to help sell his climate change plan for him.