Earth Day Concert and Rally in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.  An Earth Day rally and concert are being held on Washington's National Mall Saturday.

Headliners at Saturday's festivities — hosted by will.i.am and Soledad O'Brien — include Mary J. Blige, Fall Out Boy, No Doubt, Usher, Train, and My Morning Jacket.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, actor Don Cheadle and Coldplay's Chris Martin are expected to speak to the estimated hundreds of thousands of attendees.

The concert and rally, timed to coincide with the Spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, are seeking to shine a light on the linked problems of poverty and climate change.

"Whether it's the big migrations we expect to see or soil depletion or emptying the oceans, loss of species, loss of timberland — all these things are creating poverty at the same time that they are also creating climate change issues," says Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network president.

Earth Day is officially observed on Wednesday. This year marks Earth Day's 45th anniversary.

Obama address

President Barack Obama also took up the issue Saturday in his weekly address , saying there "no greater threat to our planet than climate change."

"Climate change can no longer be denied or ignored," with 14 of the 15 hottest years on record happening in the first 15 years of this century, he said. Last year was the warmest recorded year.

The Earth's rising temperatures are having "very serious implications," the president said, including stronger storms, deeper droughts and longer wildfire seasons.

The U.S. leader said he will observe Earth Day Wednesday at Florida's Everglades, a location he described as "one of the most special places in our country" and "one of the most fragile."  He said rising sea levels are putting the "national treasure" at risk.

Saying America is using more clean energy than ever before and is number one in wind power, Obama also said other measures taken include an increasing number of energy-efficient cars and buildings that save consumers money.

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