President Obama's closing thoughts on his three-day journey in Alaska.
Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs
September 4, 2015
minute read time
After a three-day journey around Alaska, the President offered his closing thoughts. Here is an excerpt:
“On the final day of my trip to Alaska, I understand that I became the first president to travel above the Arctic Circle. It’s hard to believe this trip is already coming to a close. Over the course of the past three days, from the decks of Coast Guard cutters and the edges of ice fields, I’ve had the opportunity to see some wild and beautiful things in Alaska — and I’ve enjoyed sharing them with the rest of the country.
But a very serious reality lies within those breathtaking sights: And that’s the fact that this state’s climate is changing before our eyes.
A couple of days ago, I stood on rock where, just 10 years ago, there was a glacier. Yesterday, I flew over Kivalina Island, an Arctic town that’s already losing land to the sea from erosion and further threatened by sea-level rise. I’ve seen shores that have been left battered by storm surges that used to be contained by ice. And now, that ice is gone.
The Alaskans I met with these past three days know that better than anybody.
And so as I close out this travelogue, it’s my hope that decades and decades from now, when this generation has long since left the planet, we will have acted decisively. We will have left those generations with a planet they can continue to thrive on.”