Barack Obama has taken office as the 44th President of the United States, making an impassioned inauguration speech on the steps of the Capitol building, exhorting Americans to take on the difficult economic, social and environmental challenges that face them.
His election brings great expectation around the world that a new era of co-operative global action on climate change will now be possible. He has told the American people that the time for putting off hard decisions has passed, and that they must now lay a new foundation for growth.
The following are extracts from President Obama’s inauguration speech on these themes and specific references to climate change and energy:
“…Every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans …
Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age … Each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet …
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met …
Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place ... We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories …
And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more …
We can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater co-operation and understanding between nations … With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet ...
America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.”Full textRelated stories:
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