© 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to
all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do
so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming
judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging res, and crippling
drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be
long and sometimes difcult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it.
President Barack Obama
Second inaugural address, 2013.