Bin Laden called for Americans to rise up over climate change

AscanofadocumentwrittenbyOsamabinLaden(L)andtranslatedintoEnglish(R)isshowninthisimagefromtheofficeofthedirectorofnationalintelligence.REUTERS/HANDOUT

(REUTERS)OsamabinLadenwrotealettercallingontheAmericanpeopletohelpPresidentBarackObamafight"catastrophic"climatechangeand"savehumanity",inthelatestevidenceofhisworriesaboutenvironmentalissues,newlyreleaseddocumentsshow

TheletterwasamongmaterialsthatwereseizedintheMay2,2011,U.S.raidonbinLaden'shideoutinPakistanthatkilledthealQaedachiefandwhichwerereleasedonTuesdaybytheObamaadministration.

Theundated,unsignedletter"totheAmericanpeople,"whichU.S.intelligenceofficialsattributedtobinLaden,appearedtohavebeenwrittenshortlyafterObamabeganhisfirsttermin2009,basedontheletter'sreferencestoevents.

BinLaden'spreoccupationwithclimatechangealsoemergedasathemeinthefirsttrancheofdocumentsfromtheraidthatwasdeclassifiedinMay2015,aswellasinanaudiorecordingreleasedviathealJazeeranetworkinJanuary2010.

IntheramblinglettermadepublicTuesday,binLadenblamedthe2007-8U.S.financialcrisisoncorporatecontrolofcapitalandcorporatelobbyists,andtheU.S.-ledwarsinIraqandAfghanistan.

HecalledonAmericanstolaunch"agreatrevolutionforfreedom"toliberatetheU.S.presidentfromthoseinfluences.

ThatwouldenableObamatomake"arationaldecisiontosavehumanityfromtheharmfulgasesthatthreatenitsdestiny,"binLadencontinued.

Inaseparateletter,binLadenurgedacloseaidetolaunchamediacampaignforthe10thanniversaryoftheSept.11,2001,attacksthatincludedacallforcuttinggreenhousegasemissions.

BinLadencontendedthattheworldwouldbebetterofffightingclimatechangethanwagingwhatheclaimedwasawaragainstIslam.

"...theworldshouldputitseffortsintoattemptingtoreducethereleaseofgases,"saidtheundated,unsignedlettertosomeoneidentifiedasShaykhMahmudthatU.S.intelligenceofficialssaidtheybelievedwaswrittenbybinLaden.

"ThisisastrugglebetweentwoofthelargestculturesonEarth,anditisintheshadowofcatastrophicclimateconditions."