Vice President Al Gore, along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has awakened the world, and particularly young people, to the enormous and looming threat of the climate crisis and the need for immediate action.

Congress is now moving forward with historic energy legislation that will reduce our dependence on foreign fuels and promote energy efficiency. We have made significant progress toward completing this package and hope to have a final agreement next week. This energy package will lay the groundwork for the Congress to move forward next year with comprehensive action to address climate change. It is also incumbent on the Bush Administration, after years of resistance, to become a leader in the global effort to reduce climate change. We owe it to our children and to the future to act now.

I again congratulate Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on their winning the Nobel Peace Prize, which is a culmination of decades of dedication and perseverance. Just as Al Gore tirelessly fought to change the global warming debate, Congress must now act to change America's energy policy and begin to halt climate change.