President Obama has challenged world leaders to act urgently on climate change or “condemn our children to a world they will no longer have the capacity to repair.” On Monday, Obama opened an international conference on the Arctic being held in Alaska by emphasizing the U.S. role in creating the climate crisis.

President Obama: “The fact is that climate is changing faster than our efforts to address it. That, ladies and gentlemen, must change. We’re not acting fast enough. I’ve come here today as the leader of the world’s largest economy and its second largest emitter to say that the United States recognizes our role in creating this problem and we embrace our responsibility to help solve it.”

Obama’s remarks come just weeks after his administration granted permission to Shell to drill for oil in the Arctic, a move critics say will accelerate climate change.