GSA ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER BLUE'S STATEMENT ON CERTIFICATION IN REWARDING SUSTAINABLE FISHING

FROM:  U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 
The Role of Certification in Rewarding Sustainable Fishing
Statement of Darren Blue
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Facilities Management & Services Program
General Services Administration
Before the House Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
September 24, 2013

Good morning Chairman Begich, Ranking Member Rubio, and members of the Subcommittee. I am Darren Blue, Assistant Commissioner for Facilities Management and Services Programs in GSA’s Public Buildings Service. I appreciate being invited here today to discuss GSA’s role in developing guidelines for healthy and sustainable food services in federal facilities.

Today I will speak to the GSA’s support of health and sustainability policies and practices within our inventory of Federal office space.

First and foremost, I’d like to establish GSA’s view that U.S.-managed fisheries do not require third-party certification to demonstrate responsible practices. GSA is working with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other agencies to revise our Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations to ensure they provide absolute clarity on this matter.

Development of GSA-HHS Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations

In 2009, President Obama issued Executive Order 13514, “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance,” directing Federal agencies to leverage acquisitions to encourage markets for sustainable products and services. As the Federal government’s landlord, GSA is well positioned to drive change by supporting sustainability in federal facilities and encouraging health and wellness among federal employees.

From 2009 to 2011, GSA and HHS jointly developed the Health and Sustainability Guidelines with a working group that included health and sustainability experts from several Federal agencies. GSA and HHS co-released the Guidelines in March 2011. NOAA did not participate in the development of the original Guidelines, but GSA and HHS have since been working with NOAA to develop revisions.

We designed the Guidelines to make healthy choices more accessible and appealing. As written, they serve as a practical guide and resource for vendors crafting proposals to provide concessions or vending services in federal facilities. Our intent was to broaden choices, not restrict choices.

GSA worked extensively with private industry in developing the Guidelines. In October 2009, prior to beginning our partnership with HHS, GSA released a Request for Information to gain valuable feedback and insight from concessions and environmental stakeholders on wellness and sustainability practices in food service delivery and concessions contracting. Some of the responses suggested the idea of third-party sustainable fishing certification programs as a guide for responsible seafood procurement.

GSA confirmed the recommendations generated through the RFI process, and during a subsequent industry roundtable with industry experts and our other federal agency partners, we developed Guidelines that cited a pair of third-party entities for sustainability certification. Specifically, the guidelines encouraged vendors to refer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Marine Stewardship Council or other equivalent systems when developing proposals.

GSA and HHS intended the third-party groups cited in the Guidelines to be helpful examples for vendors, not eliminating factors. We now understand that these references have caused some confusion. GSA and HHS are now working with NOAA to develop revisions consistent with our intent to issue helpful, inclusive Guidelines that reflect federal fisheries management policy and practices. We expect to release the revised Guidelines in the coming weeks, and GSA anticipates that they will not include references to third-party certification systems.

Conclusion

Thank you for inviting me to appear before you today. Given GSA’s role in supporting sustainable workplaces and the health and wellness of federal employees across the country, we look forward to continuing this dialogue and updating the Subcommittee on the issuance of updated Guidelines. I am pleased to take your questions.

CENTRAL COMMAND COMMANDER GEN. AUSTIN SAYS DRAWDOWN IN AFGHANISTAN IS "HERCULEAN..."

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Afghanistan Drawdown Proceeds on Schedule, Austin Reports
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2013 - Calling the drawdown in Afghanistan a "herculean undertaking," the U.S. Central Command commander overseeing it said he's applying some of the lessons he learned in Iraq, but that he recognizes there's no cookie-cutter formula that applies completely to the distinctly different operations.
Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III served as commander of U.S. forces in Iraq when Operation New Dawn concluded in December 2011. Former Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta praised him during a closing ceremony in Baghdad for his leadership in carrying out "one of the most complex logistical undertakings in U.S. military history."
"Your effort to make this day a reality is nothing short of miraculous," Panetta told him.

Two years later, Austin is in the midst of an even more daunting challenge in Afghanistan, as he oversees the drawdown of the largest coalition campaign in modern history.

"The biggest challenge is simply coordinating the many different activities involved in the transition," he told American Forces Press Service via an email interview. It is a herculean undertaking, he added, and it must be properly synchronized to achieve the stated objectives by the Dec. 31, 2014, deadline.

Complicating the process, Austin said, is the fact that the security environment remains volatile.

"We must keep in mind that we are conducting this transition while facing a determined and formidable enemy," he said. "And, the enemy undoubtedly has a vote in determining the course of events going forward."

As they work to meet President Barack Obama's directive to reduce the force to 34,000 by February and to complete the drawdown by the end of 2014, Austin said, he and his staff are drawing on the experience they gained in Iraq.

"Transitioning from a theater of war represents a complex undertaking that, unfortunately, does not have a 'one size fits all' solution," he said.

"However, there are a number of lessons learned from our experiences in Iraq that are being applied in Afghanistan," he said. "We were successful in conducting the transition from Iraq, and we are now doing a good job of applying the knowledge and experience gained there toward efforts in Afghanistan."

Particularly valuable, he said, are insights into best practices in logistics to ways to more seamlessly transfer responsibilities across the interagency community and to the host nation.

"The process of moving a mountain of equipment and tens of thousands of people out of that country, gradually reducing our physical footprint and transferring responsibilities to our Afghan and U.S. State Department partners is a carefully orchestrated effort," Austin said.

In many ways, Austin called the challenge of transitioning from Afghanistan "even more difficult than Iraq."

"The major difference between the two countries can be summed up in two words: geography and infrastructure," he said. "In Iraq, we were fortunate to have access to a single ground route to the port city of Kuwait, which was a relatively short distance from Iraq."

Not so in land-locked Afghanistan. The transition there requires equipment to be moved over several ground routes that are considerably longer and in some cases, less developed than in Iraq, he noted.

"The terrain in Afghanistan is also much harsher and more difficult to negotiate," he said, noting that some of the ground routes traverse multiple nations, requiring highly detailed coordination.

"While we are doing well in our efforts to move equipment out of the country using various ground and air assets, the magnitude of the task at hand will continue to present a challenge and require significant resources in order to meet the desired timeframe for completion," Austin said.

Austin visited Afghanistan personally to assess progress, and said he's pleased with what he found.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., commander of the International Security Assistance Force, and his team "are among the best we have ever had there, and they are doing a truly phenomenal job," Austin reported.

CHEMISTRY: THE ANIMAL LANGUAGE OF THE SEA

Credit:  NOAA

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
Chemical ecologists translate the language of the sea

If Dr. Dolittle could talk to the animals, it's more likely he was a chemical ecologist than a linguist, says marine scientist Mark Hay of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta--at least when it came to talking to the animals (and plants) of the sea.

Chemical signals are the primary "language" used by ocean organisms. Using a kind of extra-sensory perception of the deep, marine animals and plants react to other species and to their environment based on these cues.

Humans are poorly designed to understand such chemically-driven interactions "because we sense the world primarily via visual and auditory input," Hay says.

"In contrast, many ocean species lack eyes and ears. They sense much of their world via chemical signals. In the sea, even species that see and hear rely on chemical cues."

Dark New York City streets--in the sea

Imagine walking along a bustling New York City street at night. Suddenly, the boulevard goes pitch-black and deathly silent--permanently.

How would you find food, a mate or protect yourself against thieves and murderers? What if you had to rely on detecting chemicals produced by other people and other animals to survive?

"For ocean animals and plants, it's like that every minute of every day," says Hay. For most marine species, chemical cues determine whether they consume, fight with, run from or mate with the creatures next to them--and whether they are eaten by, infected by or overgrown by natural enemies.

Welcome to New York City...eerily silent and utterly dark...beneath the waves.

Dead ahead are the shapeshifters, marine denizens that use chemical cues to change their outward appearances.

Facing the shape-shifters

When the bloom-forming phytoplankton Phaeocystis globosa chemically senses its next-door neighbors under attack by ciliates, which feast on small foods like phytoplankton, it shifts shape and grows in colonies too big for the ciliates to consume.

Then when the phytoplankton's neighbors are attacked by copepods, says Hay, which feed on large foods, Phaeocystis globosa suppresses colony formation and grows as single cells too small to interest the copepods.

"These shifts could alter energy flow, nutrient cycling and patterns of carbon sequestration in the sea," says Hay. "Chemical cues affect not only individual behavior and population-level processes, but also community organization and ecosystem function."

Finding food: no clues but molecules

What if you had to fly a plane over an area the size of Canada to locate a grocery store with no cues but a few simple "fresh food" molecules wafting through the air?

Tube-nosed seabirds--storm-petrels, albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters and others--do exactly that. They use a chemical cue to track high-productivity areas in open seas where they forage on zooplankton, fish and squid.

They're responding to the presence of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), produced when zooplankton feed on blooms of phytoplankton then excrete this substance.

"At scales of thousands of square kilometers, DMS may function as an olfactory landscape," says Hay, "indicating ocean areas where phytoplankton and zooplankton accumulate and where the search for prey should be most successful."

Chemical cues: from oceans to human health

To discover how chemical signals play a part in ocean ecosystems, and perhaps human health, Hay and colleagues are studying marine organisms and how they produce and deploy their chemical arsenals.

Understanding substances that cloak seaweeds and other species could allow scientists to adapt these compounds for use against microbial pathogens, HIV, cancer and other human diseases.

As part of a project supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Hay and colleagues have analyzed compounds from more than 800 species in the waters around Fiji Islands like Yanuca. The project is co-funded by the National Institutes of Health's International Cooperative Biodiversity Group program.

"The study of chemical signaling on Fiji Island coral reefs will help us better understand the interactions that keep the oceans healthy," says David Garrison, program director in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.

One species has emerged as a frontrunner in Hay's investigations: the red seaweed Callophycus serratus.

The alga is adept at fighting infections. Chemical extracts from Callophycus serratus fend off disease-causing microbes. The compounds are among the largest groups of algal antifungal chemical defenses discovered to date.

"We're in effect ‘listening in' on the fight between this red seaweed and a fungus that's trying to attack it," says Hay. "What we hear may allow us to translate the language of the sea into that of human biomedicine."

Tuning into The Deep

He may be tuning in for some time. Callophycus serratus produces at least 28 bioactive compounds.

Why would a single species of seaweed produce so many bioactive substances? The compounds may work together against a host of enemies, says Hay. "Or they may have separate uses we don't yet comprehend."

Hay is busy deciphering. He and colleagues have found that Callophycus serratus contains bromophycolides--in ocean-speak, chemicals that have shown promise as new treatments for infectious diseases.

Whether working along the shores of Fiji or in the seas around Florida, Panama or the Caribbean Islands, Hay is proving that we can interpret the language of marine organisms.

"Knowing what's being communicated will provide a deeper understanding of marine ecosystems," says Hay, "and improve our ability to serve as wise stewards of these natural resources."

DEFENSE OFFICIAL SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS "STUPID"

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Carter Says Shutdown Would Be 'Disruptive, Stupid'
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2013 - The shutdown that looms if the government isn't funded beyond the end of the fiscal year at midnight tonight would be "disruptive and stupid," Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said here today.

Carter preceded a scheduled speech on India at the Center for American Progress with his thoughts on the impending shutdown.

"Let me just emphasize that the administration firmly believes that a shutdown can be avoided, should be avoided, and while we in the Department of Defense are fully prepared to deal with the shutdown if it occurs," he said, "it will be extremely disruptive and unfortunate, especially for the men and women who are defending this country who now have to worry about receiving their paychecks on time."

About half of the Defense Department's civilian personnel will be placed on no duty-no pay furloughs if the shutdown occurs, the deputy secretary said, noting that they already had been furloughed for more than a week earlier this year.

"This is no way to treat patriots working in our department and will cause serious harm to productivity and morale," Carter said.

Planning for the shutdown is itself disruptive, he added.

"We're spending thousands of hours on complex planning for a shutdown instead of spending this time more wisely and efficiently on addressing our national security challenges," he said.

The Defense Department is prepared to deal with the shutdown if it occurs, Carter said, just as it was prepared to deal with sequestration spending cuts.

"But a shutdown will be disruptive and harmful to the national security mission," he added. "We strongly urge the Congress to pass a budget and avoid a disruptive and stupid shutdown of the federal government."

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY AND ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU MAKE COMMENTS BEFORE MEETING

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
September 30, 2013


SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. It’s my great pleasure to welcome the Prime Minister of Israel here and to the State Department. I think – (audio feedback). Ta-da. (Laughter).
Obviously, I’ve had a number of very generous, warm welcomes as I have visited Israel and the Mideast frequently. I think I’ve been probably the most frequent visitor; I should get frequent flyer miles for my visits to the Prime Minister’s office.

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: We couldn’t afford it. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY KERRY: But it is more than safe to say that the Prime Minister and I are every meeting forging a better and better relationship, a stronger and stronger friendship on a very personal level. And I’m very grateful to him for his very generous welcomes to me, the amount of time he has spent with me in Jerusalem working through very complicated but very, very important issues.

Israel, as everybody knows, is a very special friend to the United States of America. And we have just had a very constructive luncheon with the President and a very important meeting before that with a larger group of people. And now the Prime Minister and I will talk about both Iran, the Middle East peace process, Syria, and issues of concern.

We are committed to continuing to work constructively to move forward on the peace process, though it is always difficult, complicated. We know that. But we’re working in good faith. I have confidence in the Prime Minister’s commitment to this effort, and I also want him to know that as we reach out to respond to Iran’s efforts to purportedly change its relationship with the world, we do so very aware of and sensitive to the security needs of Israel and the demands for certainty and transparency and accountability in this process.

So I look forward today to furthering our conversation, and I’m very, very happy to finally welcome the Prime Minister here to the State Department.

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: Mr. Secretary, thank you. John, it’s good to be with you. We have if not the whole world, a good chunk of it to discuss, and we do so as friends and as people seriously committed to both achieving security and a durable peace. These are hard things to achieve, but none better than you and us to try to do it together.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Thanks, partner.

DOJ ANNOUNCED ENHANCED ONLINE RESOURCES FOR U.S. VICTIMS OF OVERSEAS TERRORISM

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Justice Department Announces Enhanced Online Resource for U.S. Victims of Overseas Terrorism

The Justice Department today announced an enhanced online resource designed to support American victims of overseas terrorism.  The site, sponsored and maintained by the National Security Division’s Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism (OVT), will expand the public’s ability to obtain information about the types of support available to help victims of overseas attacks and their loved ones in the aftermath of acts of international terrorism, including information about programs available to assist victims in connection with foreign criminal justice proceedings.  In addition, the website provides greater information about OVT’s establishment and services, for victims and others interested in OVT’s work.

“This enhanced website will serve as an important resource for U.S. victims of overseas terrorism and their loved ones,” said John P. Carlin, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “The Department remains committed both to seeking justice for Americans victimized by terrorism, whether at home or abroad, and to providing victims the information and support they deserve.”

The Attorney General established the OVT on May 6, 2005.  It is now a component of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.  The primary purpose of the OVT is to ensure that the investigation and prosecution of terrorist attacks against American citizens overseas remain a high priority within the Department of Justice.

The OVT is responsible for monitoring the investigation and prosecution of terrorist attacks against Americans abroad; working with other pertinent Justice Department components to ensure that the rights of victims of such attacks are honored and respected; establishing a Joint Task Force with the Department of State, to be activated in the event of a terrorist attack  in which Americans are harmed; and serving as an information resource to American victims of overseas terrorism including, as appropriate, information about ongoing foreign investigations and prosecutions.

“It is crucially important that any Americans attacked while traveling or living outside of our borders receive the support of our government as they pursue justice in the aftermath of the tragedy of terrorism,” said Heather Cartwright, Director of the Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism.  “This online resource gathers in one place important information for American victims of overseas terrorism and provides assistance as they seek accountability for these crimes.”

ETHANOL TRADER CHARGED BY CFTC WITH SCHEMING TO CONCEAL TRADING LOSSES

FROM:  U.S. COMMODITY FUTURE TRADING COMMISSION
CFTC Charges Ethanol Trader John Aaron Brooks with Fraud for Scheming to Conceal Trading Losses

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today filed a civil injunctive enforcement action charging John Aaron Brooks with defrauding an affiliate of a large commercial bank where he then worked by scheming to conceal trading losses from the bank and its affiliate.  As alleged in the CFTC’s Complaint, Brooks effectuated his scheme by inflating the value of New York Mercantile Exchange Chicago Ethanol (Platts) Futures contracts to conceal trading losses he was incurring.  The losses concealed ultimately grew to cause the bank and its affiliate to suffer over $40 million in realized losses before Brooks’s fraud was detected, leading to his termination, according to the Complaint. Brooks resides in Houston, Texas.

The CFTC’s civil complaint, filed September 27, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that for the majority of the days for nearly eleven months beginning in or about November 2010, and continuing through on or about October 20, 2011, Brooks, then employed as Director in the commodities business of the bank affiliate, knowingly entered false inflated prices into an internal trade booking and valuation computer software system to effectuate his scheme to conceal trading losses.

In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks a civil monetary penalty, restitution, trading and registration bans, and a permanent injunction prohibiting further violations of the federal commodities laws, as charged.

CFTC Division of Enforcement staff responsible for this case includes Janine Gargiulo, Michael Geiser, Trevor Kokal, David Acevedo, Lenel Hickson, Stephen J. Obie, Manal Sultan, and Vincent McGonagle.

CONGRESSMAN DAVE CAMP REPORTS ASIAN CARP FOUND NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN ACCESS RIVER

FROM:  U.S. CONGRESSMAN DAVE CAMP'S WEBSITE 

Last week, Wisconsin Public Radio reported that the White House Council on Environmental Quality Asian carp director John Goss recently told a group in Milwaukee that a 53 inch, 82 pound Asian carp had been found in Flatfoot Lake, Illinois in August.  Flatfoot Lake is land-locked, but located less than a quarter mile from the Calumet River, which has direct access to Lake Michigan as well as Lake Calumet, where a live Asian carp was discovered in 2010.

Following the report Camp said, “News that a live Asian carp was found dangerously close to Lake Michigan, in Flatfoot Lake, is another reminder that we must find a permanent solution to protect the Great Lakes.  Incidents like this underscore the fact that hydrological separation is the only real way to keep Asian carp from destroying the Great Lakes.”

On the topic, The Lansing State Journal wrote, “Kudos to Michigan Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, and other Michigan officials for their ongoing efforts to prevent the potential crisis of an Asian carp invasion of the Great Lakes. They fight an uphill battle, and Michiganders should support their efforts in every way possible.”

In  2012, Camp championed legislation that is now law, The Stop Invasive Species Act, which requires the Army Corps of Engineers to complete a study on hydrologically separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins by January 2014.

OVER $13 MILLION AWARDED IN GRANTS TO SUPPORT PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENT

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 
Education Department Awards $13.3 Million in Grants to Support Principal Development
SEPTEMBER 27, 2013
Contact:   Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov 


U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced today that more than $13 million in grants has been awarded to 20 projects under the School Leadership Program (SLP), which supports the development, enhancement, and expansion of innovative programs to recruit, train, and mentor principals and assistant principals for high-need schools and districts. Grantees include school districts, institutes of higher education and non-profit organizations.

"There are no great schools without great principals and teachers," Secretary Duncan said. "High-quality examples of leadership can help shape a school's culture and create an environment where students are excited to learn. These grants aim to support the development of these leaders, ultimately improving the effectiveness of educators and the academic achievement of students."

These five-year grants will help prepare individuals to meet state certification requirements to become principals or assistant principals. Projects will also provide professional development to current principals and assistant principals, serving over 1500 aspiring and current school leaders in 98 high-need school districts, including six rural areas, across 15 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Grantees will use the funds for a variety of activities to promote effective leadership, such as stipends to principals who mentor new principals, financial incentives to aspiring new principals, training specific to a charter school environment, use of school-based data to develop turnaround practices, and tracking student achievement data.

Grants have been awarded to Green River Regional Educational Cooperative, California State University, Dominguez Hills, The Board of Education of the County of McDowell, The New Teacher Project, Inc., New Leaders, Inc., The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, Region 5 Education Service Center, Wheaton R3 School District, Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement, Inc., Center for Collaborative Education, Delta State University, Foundation for Educational Administration, North Carolina State University, William Paterson University, Relay Graduate School of Education, Western Michigan University , Granite School District, Tulsa Independent District No. 1 Tulsa Public Schools, Illinois State University, and Universidad del Este.

The SLP program is funded through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Following is a list of grantees and first-year funding amounts:

Applicant Name State Funding for FY2013
Green River Regional Educational Cooperative Kentucky $1,000,000
California State University, Dominguez Hills California $1,166,492
The Board of Education of the County of McDowell West Virginia $816,915
The New Teacher Project, Inc. New York/New Jersey $1,000,000
New Leaders, Inc. New York/Maryland $130,443
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois Illinois $369,609
Region 5 Education Service Center Texas $725,463
Wheaton R3 School District Missouri $428,734
Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement, Inc. Georgia $725,901
Center for Collaborative Education Massachusetts/California $863,083
Delta State University Mississippi $200,124
Foundation for Educational Administration New Jersey $1,000,000
North Carolina State University North Carolina $529,309
William Paterson University New Jersey $520,620
Relay Graduate School of Education New York/Louisiana $395,285
Western Michigan University Michigan $927,274
Granite School District Utah $996,743
Tulsa Independent District No. 1 Tulsa Public Schools Oklahoma $990,874
Illinois State University Illinois $263,629
Universidad del Este Puerto Rico $314,247

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS ON CLIMATE CHANGE AT PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks at a Meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum
John Kerry
Secretary of State
New York City
September 27, 2013

Welcome, everybody, and thank you for – sorry, I’m a moment late. I apologize. I’m very happy to be meeting today with Marshall Islands President Loeak and with the Samoan Prime Minister Malielegaoi and other Pacific Island leaders. We’re very happy to have all of you here.

This week these leaders and other leaders from around the globe have come to New York during the UN General Assembly to discuss some of the issues of greatest challenge to everybody, life and death issues that impact millions of people around the world. Climate change is one issue that absolutely impacts millions of people around the world, and no one knows just how deeply serious and present, how now this challenge is and its impacts than the people of the vulnerable Pacific Islands. They have experienced both historic droughts and the highest rates of sea level rise in the world.

So the science is clear and irrefutable, and today the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed for the fifth time in 20 years that climate change is real, is happening, and is in large part caused by human activity. The IPCC findings have stressed that if we continue down our current path, the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, could be even worse than previously expected.

So as we work with our international partners to prepare for the impacts of climate change and the impacts that we’re already witnessing, we have an urgent responsibility to try to work together even harder to be able to change the way we’re doing things. I’ve been following this issue since, what, 1988 when then-Senator Al Gore and I held the first hearings in the United States Senate. And Jim Hansen came before our committee and said climate change is happening now. That was 1988. Everything has confirmed that ever since, but we still have a small window of time to prevent the very worst impacts of climate change from catching up to us. But that window is closing.

So we know that no one nation has the ability to address climate change alone. The United States, which is together with China a large proportion of emissions, if we acted all by ourselves and went to zero tomorrow it wouldn’t do the job. So we all are in this. We all have to figure out how to proceed forward. And between President Obama’s Climate Action Plan and the important Majuro Declaration the Pacific Islands nations signed at the 44th Pacific Islands Forum earlier this month, between those things our countries have made clear our commitments to address what is one of the defining issues of our time. We’re equally committed to working toward a comprehensive UN climate agreement that takes into account the unique circumstances and capabilities of each nation.

I know I also speak for President Obama when I say that I – we stand with the Pacific Islands in the fight against climate change. And I’m looking forward to our discussion today, and most importantly, I’m looking forward to continuing our very important work as we together try to guarantee the future of our nations and indeed the future of the planet.