Kerry: climate science is "screaming at us". OK, John: do something about it.
"We call this beautiful planet that we are privileged to inhabit for a short period of time, we call it Earth, but it could well have been called Ocean because three-quarters of it is ocean. And the oceans are responsible in many ways for life because of the cycle of rain and humidity and all of the protein and life that comes from the ocean. So we cant be casual about it. We cant be casual about it. And it is clear that we have an enormous challenge ahead of us as we face the extraordinary excess that we see with respect to each of those issues that I talked about: energy policy that results in acidification, the bleaching of coral, the destruction of species, the change in the Arctic because of the ice melt, and the change in the krill, the population of whales. The entire system is interdependent, and we toy with that at our peril.
So it is vital that weve come to this moment where we begin to see that this is not just an environmental issue. This is a security issue. Its an economic security issue. Its a national security issue. And it is in many ways a challenge with respect to energy security and our approach to energy policy, and ultimately it is a challenge to our commitment to science and facts and ultimately our basic sense of faith and what we believe in and our responsibility as human beings on this planet.
So climate change is coming back in a sense as a serious international issue because people are experiencing it firsthand.
The science is screaming at us, literally, demanding that people in positions of public responsibility at least exercise the so-called precautionary principle to balance the equities and not knowing completely the outcomes at least understand what is happening and take steps to prevent potential disaster. Ive often said to people, What is the worst that could happen to you if you make a decision to put good energy policy in place and respond to what the science and the facts are telling us? Well, the worst that can happen to you if you would employ a lot of people in alternative and renewable and clean energy; you would have less hospitalizations, cleaner air, more children with less asthma; and you would create an enormous number of jobs by moving to those new energy possibilities and policies and infrastructure. Thats the worst that can happen to you."
Remarks at the Ross Sea Conservation Reception - March 18, 2013
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/03/206395.htm