Despite widely differing perspectives and agendas, there seems to be a remarkable global consensus that has built up over a fairly short period of time that climate change and ecology is one of the truly defining issues for humanity.

I can't tell you how short a period it seems like -- 32 years -- to 1967. And now I'm up here getting the Pioneer Award. Then I was getting the go get 'em award.

With our evolved busy hands and our evolved busy brains, in an extraordinarily short period of time we've managed to alter the earth with such geologic-forcing effects that we ourselves are forces of nature. Climate change, ocean acidification, the sixth mass extinction of species.

To protect our freedoms, it seems we're going to have to relinquish some of our freedoms for a short period of time.

Problems of 35 years cannot be resolved in a short period of time.

I don't try to try to judge people on performance in one short period of time.