RemarksbythePresidenttoLeadersfromthePacificIsland

ConferenceofLeadersandtheInternationalUnionforthe
ConservationofNatureWorldConservationCongress

EastWestCenter
Honolulu,Hawaii
6:37P.M.HST
THEPRESIDENT:Thankyousomuch.Thankyou.(Applause.)Thankyou.Everybody,pleasehavea
seat.Well,welcometoHawaii.(Laughter.)
AUDIENCEMEMBERS:Aloha!
THEPRESIDENT:Aloha!(Laughter.)Youknow,itsnotoftenIgettowelcomefolkstomyhomestate.
(Applause.)Butitsalwayswonderfultobehere,evenifitsonlyforaday.Itsevenrarerthatnotonebuttwo
hurricanesaresettopassthroughtheislandsoverthenextfewdays.Sowevebeenworkingwiththe
GovernorandFEMAtomakesureHawaiisgoteverythingitneedstokeepourfolkssafe.And,inthe
meantime,IdjustaskthepeopleofHawaiitolistentoyourstateandlocalofficials,andmakesureyouand
yourfamiliesarepreparedforthestorms.ButtheGovernorsayshesgotitalltakencareof.Hespushing
themallsouth.(Laughter.)
IwanttothankEastWestCenterPresident,CharlesMorrison,forhostingallofusthisevening.Iwantto
recognize,inadditiontotheGovernor,wealsohaveSenatorBrianSchultzSchatzhere.WhereisBrian?
Thereheis.(Applause.)Iwanttothankthe8,000delegatesfrommorethan180countrieswhowillsharetheir
expertisehereattheIUCNWorldConservationCongress,includingPresidentZhangXinshengandDirector
GeneralAndersen.TotheworldleadersandministerswhoareherefromthePacificIslandConferenceof
Leaders,thankyouforjoiningustonight.AndIknowmanyofyouwillbeinWashingtonnextmonthwhen
SecretaryKerryhostsour2016OurOceansConference.
Buttoday,theUnitedStatesisproudtohosttheIUCNCongressforthefirsttime.Ijustcameherefrom
anotherbeautifulplaceLakeTahoe,Nevada.AndinmyaddressthereItalkedaboutclimatechangeand
conservation,andhowthosetwothingsareinextricablylinked.Fewpeopleunderstand,Ithink,thestakes
betterthanourPacificIslandleaders,becausetheyreseeingalreadytheimpact.Risingtemperaturesandsea
levelsposeanexistentialthreattoyourcountries.AndwhilesomemembersoftheU.S.Congressstillseemto
bedebatingwhetherclimatechangeisrealornot,manyofyouarealreadyplanningfornewplacesforyour
peopletolive.CropsarewitheringintheMarshallIslands.Kiribatiboughtlandinanothercountrybecause
theirsmaysomedaybesubmerged.HighseasforcedvillagersfromtheirhomesinFiji.

Andnonation,notevenoneaspowerfulastheUnitedStates,isimmunefromachangingclimate.Isawit
myselflastyearinournorthernmoststateofAlaska,wheretheseaisalreadyswallowingvillagesandeating
awayatshorelineswherethepermafrostthawsandthetundraisburningwhereglaciersaremeltingatapace
unprecedentedinmoderntimes.Anditwasapreviewofourfutureiftheclimatekeepschangingfasterthan
oureffortstoaddressit.
AndthatswhyIvedevotedsomuchofmytimeandmyenergytomakingsurethatwegetthisrightwhilewe
stillhavetime.Ispokeaboutthisatlengthinaspeechearliertoday,butoverthepastsevenandahalfyears,
Americahasworkedtogeneratemorecleanenergy,uselessdirtyenergy,andwastelessenergyoverall.And
itsmadeadifference.Ourinvestmentshavetripledwindpower,multipliedsolarpowerthirtyfold,and,inmany
places,helpedcleanenergybecomecheaperthandirtyenergy.Andwedidallofthiswhilefuelingthelongest
uninterruptedstreakofjobgrowthonrecord.
Sotheresnoconflictbetweenahealthyeconomyandahealthyplanet.AndthatswhyIvecommitted,along
withCanadaandMexico,toget50percentofU.S.electricityfromcleansourcesby2025.Andwithmanyof
ourbiggestbusinessesswitchingtocleanenergy,Imabsolutelyconfidentthatwecanmeetthatgoal.
Butthatsnotall.Ivealsomadesurewerebetterpreparedfortheimpactsofclimatechange,becauseeven
asweneedtohitthebrakessothatwedontgooverthecliff,werenotgoingtocometoanimmediatestop.
Weknowthatthereisstillgoingtobeaninevitableimpactasaconsequenceofrisingtemperatures.Andthat
meansconservationhasbeenacornerstoneofmypresidency.
Sincetakingoffice,Iveprotectedmorethan548millionacresofourlandsandwatersforourchildrenandour
grandchildren.IhavetosaythatTeddyRooseveltgetsthecreditforstartingtheNationalParkssystem,but
whenyouincludeabigchunkofthePacificOcean,wenowhaveactuallydonemoreacreagethananyother
President.(Applause.)WevedesignatednationalmonumentsfromMainetoOhiotoCalifornia.Andjustlast
week,thankstothehardworkofmanypeopleinthisroom,includingSenatorSchatz,Icreatedtheworlds
largestmarinepreserve(applause)quadruplingthesizeofourmonumentatPapahnaumokukea.This
isanareatwicethesizeofTexasthatsgoingtobeprotected,anditallowsustosaveandstudythefragile
ecosystemthreatenedbyclimatechange.
Tomorrow,ImgoingtotraveltotheMidwayAtolltoseeitformyself.Seventhousandspeciesliveinitswaters,
aquarterofwhicharenotfoundanywhereelseintheworld.Ancientislandersbelieveditcontainedthe
boundarybetweenthislifeandthenext.HundredsofbraveAmericansgavetheirlivesthereindefenseofthe
worldsfreedom.Sothisisahallowedsite,anditdeservestobetreatedthatway.Andfromnowon,itwillbe
preservedforfuturegenerations.(Applause.)
SoImveryproudoftheseachievements,butwealwayshavetoremindourselvesnonationcandothisalone.
Weregoingtohavetotackleclimatechangetogether.Nationslikemanyofyoursobviouslyfeelaspecial
urgencyaboutthis.Thebiggestemitters,likemycountryandChina,haveaspecialresponsibilitytoactto
makesurethatcountrieswillingtodotheirpartmovepastthedirtyphaseofdevelopmenttomoveintoaclean
energystrategy.ThatwasakeyprincipleintheParisagreement.AndIwasmentioningtotheleadershere,
wecouldnothavegottenaParisagreementwithouttheincredibleeffortsandhardworkoftheIslandnations.
Theymadeanenormousdifference,andwereveryproudoftheworkthattheydid.(Applause.)

Andthisiswhywevebeenworkingtoacceleratepublic,privatecleanenergyinnovation,makingsurethat
resourceswillbethereforcountriesthatneedhelppreparingfortheimpactsofclimatechangethatwecanno
longeravoid.Itsalsowhy,tonight,Icanannouncemorethan$30millioninnewcommitmentsforourfriendsin
thePacificfundingforinvestmentslikestrongerinfrastructure,moresustainabledevelopment,andsafer
drinkingwater.(Applause.)
FromhereImgoingtobetravelingtoChina,wherewellbemeetingfortheG20Summit,andclimatewillbea
centerpieceofouragenda.JointU.S.Chineseleadershiponclimatewaspartofthereasonthatwewereable
togetParisdone,andImgoingtopushtobuildonthatrecordaslongasIoccupythisofficeandprobably
evenafterIleaveit.
TheresanoldHawaiianproverbthatlooselytranslatesto:Unitetomoveforward.Itseemssimpleenough,
butthenativesuseditasareminderthatifyouwanttorowacanoe,everyoarhastobemovinginunison,
otherwise,Idontknow,yougoincircles.(Laughter.)Youjustgoaroundandaround.Yourpaceslows,you
drift.Yougetcaughtupinthecurrents,andyougetoffcourse.
Well,whenitcomestoclimatechange,thereisadirepossibilityofusgettingoffcourse,andwecantallowthat
tohappen.Thatswhyourunitedeffortsaresoimportant.Governmenthasaroletoplay,butsodoscientists
andinventorsandinvestors,allworkingtorevolutionizecleanenergyproduction.Entrepreneursand
academicsandleadersinthisroomarecollaboratingacrosscontinents.Andeverydaycitizensoftheworldare
goingtohavetopushtheirowncommunitiestoadoptsmarterpractices,andtopushthoseofusinpositionsof
powertobelessconcernedwithspecialinterestsandmoreconcernedaboutthejudgmentoffuture
generations.
Andthatswhywereallhere.Thatswhatthisisallabout.Andforme,thisisespeciallymeaningful.Iwas
tellingmystaff,alotofmylifestartedaboutamileradiusaroundhere.Mymotherandfathermetprobablya
couplehundredyardsfromhere.(Laughter.)Itstrue.Iwenttoschoolaboutamilefromhere.Iwasactually
bornaboutamilefromhere.Mygrandmotherandmygrandparentslivedmostoftheirlivesashortwayaway
fromhere.
AndsosinceMaliawasborn,sincemyoldestchildwasborn,IvebroughtthemhereeveryChristmasforthe
last18yearsnow.AndIwanttomakesurethatwhentheyrebringingtheirchildrenhere,ortheirgrandchildren
here,thattheyareabletoappreciatethewondersandthebeautyofthisislandandofthePacific,andevery
island.(Applause.)
SoIknowyouhavethesamefeeling,andthatswhywevegottounitetomoveforward.Wehavetorowas
one.Ifwedo,wemightjustsavetheoneplanetthatwevegot.
Thankyouverymuch,everybody.
END6:49P.M.HST