, what about oil abroad and natural gas? mark: most fractures in disarray, most are not. deeply familiar with the oil industry. i know that is being put out there and i do not see it. they are very disciplined and understand what is happening and can increase production rapidly. some are announcing new drilling plans. second issue about global resources. expandingoil and gas is astronomical literally. the issue is never whether there is a, deep water or shall but who will permit it to -- or shall -- shale but who will permit it to happen? governments can be stupid and prevent resource production,

just a deep track record for these rings. setting that aside, the united states has an inherent advantage. on top of theture largest hydrocarbon infrastructure on the planet. tens of trillions of dollars of infrastructure and a knowledge base equivalent of amazon if you like. you are that business and have a resource base and market based, why would you go anywhere else? the talent that is here, the capability, the infrastructure is here. extraordinary for the shale market in the united states. and setting aside the it will take, if i am guessing, 15 to 20 years to catch up.

the biggest wildcard in natural thats at the catalyst allows you to liquefied natural gas. if you can make gas, cheaper to transport as oil, that would be to biggest single tsunami hit the world economically in the last century. miles. support all ofi the concepts of what you presented in your paper. the question becomes the investment capital decision. do you think right now the way pretty much the servicing sector for the shale market has run out a capital? black rock, and investment in this. being cosanis traded in the big major, the

halliburton, exxon mobil. how is that next influx of private capital going to come fuel shale 2.0? how does it get kick started when it is in the hands of the big guys? mark: i am not sure it is in the hands of the big dies. there are players that are seeing significant support from companies much smaller than blackrock. prices rebounded slightly which is normal. i slowed down in the production growth. it is very easy to turn the back on. they have a higher velocity on the gas died. when gas prices collapsed with costs and everybody pulled back. -- on the gas side. people rushed in book is a make so much money. profoundly different

characteristic that what people have been accustomed to for the last 30 or 40 years where the velocity is so low you have to build billion-dollar projects. cycle.ng now what you have is sort of a fast throttle, prices go up a little. if i can make my money in six months of production, which you can easily do, you really do not care if price collapse two years out. you go back in and make back three times that money and price boom, i, back up of an am in. i think is scarce the saudi's and russians. the saudi's and russians. fascinating.

>> hey, mark. congrats on a fine paper that is having a profound impact on how people think about energy. my question is following on what gene said. we know there are a lot of show reserves around the world and they have not been exploited largely because of land is government land. would you see potentially there being the most exploitation of shale reserves outside of the u.s. over the next 10 or 20 years given the limitations? mark: i should return the covenant -- complement. -- compliment. mutual admiration, thank you for that. [laughter] england is most likely to light the fuse before anybody else in europe. it seems to be evidence of it happening and and china.

i am not sure about the rest of europe. seemed very happy to be dependent on russia so we do not have a bipolar world again like the cold war. this time warring over gas continental europe. i do not see it happening in australia. the australian shale is difficult, they are very hot because of their death but every written -- depth but very rich shale. that is comparable once it is done and australia is a major player. once you add australia and china comment on later, i keep writing as you know, oil glut part one, three that wet are in an oversupplied world at the macro level. this is exciting.

require some very clever work for investors to understand where to make money. for consumers and the poor, it is great. >> how will new technology affect it? >> how will the new technology affect the cost of production? mark: it reduces the cost of 2x.duction by roughly i think it can do better than that but looking at the average, probably an average of 2x. we know several public disclosures on early projects of analytics, no capx have seen 30% to 50% of efficacy. that is anonymous with the cost cut of production which is why

you're seeing so little poor back. the --t reschedule from residual. without new hardware. 30% and then, up you drop it down 30%. >> i am ralph, an attorney in new york. could you comment on alternatives to fossil fuels which is nuclear energy? can it possibly be utilized? well, it is certainly the energy that is a. two hi bro carton -- hi bro -- hydrocarbons.

it is not the news. -- if that is superior to hydrocarbons. certainly the united states it means if i was guessing today when the united states what have a significant return, i would decades.e certainly, the biggest builders and the world is china and so as the rest of the world starts to modernize, first it will burn coal which is happening and they will buy china nukes and steady u.s. nukes. itcould break the cycle but will be difficult and take a lot of political courage and there is no evidence. anywhere in either party at the moment. >> one of the biggest consumers -- used to be larger,

would you care to speculate what typical manufacturing cost to power in three to five years? and can one infer from that it may actually boost that sector but cause power is cheaper and more opportunities to expand? mark: the short answer is, yes. it is already boosting. manufacturing, we already have a resurgence as you know and chemicals and plastics because natural gas is so cheap in oversupply in america. if they are driven operations in the united states and the order of 500 million dollars a year. very big numbers. profits at the bottom line. that is already attracting, the

last time i read was $380 billion in plants. plantsre hundreds of under construction. the next president will see a manufacturing jobs bump and while nothing to do with the policy of the next president. online 18 months from now. it will create more demand from the associated manufacturers to support those businesses. the eagles will expand and those will by -- expand and driven more. a lot of social programs and electricity. whether the electricity bills will go down or not is speculative. forar that's been going up the first time in 50 years. the united states has reversed h

friend -- a trend. i am not sure it will make electricity cheaper anytime in the near future but may be moot given the incredible tell went there pushed -- tailwind that pushed this. >> fis i could jump in with a follow-up. : if i could jump in with a follow-up. what is important today and coming to the next election that will determine the trajectory? mark: really easy to articulate. op reselect to further regulate, the shale industry. you can make a more expensive.

know, a lot of movement to try to burden the shale industry. as stimulating the shale industry without a subsidy. the ancient ban or prohibition from american producers of american products oil and natural gas from selling it to any willing buyer and the world. the b on exports of petroleuman is -- ban on exports of petroleum is nuts. it was put in place when we thought was gas was limited. we got lots of it and we should sell it to the world. that would be the single biggest stimulus when you open up world markets. >> first, excellent paper,

profound. if thees it mean increasing use of hydrocarbon will come about for people concerned about increased carbon dioxide? it remains that will be more carbon dioxide. [laughter] --k: >> in terms of people saying we need to reduce it. mark: i was being mildly facetious. what i mean by that facetious response to your good question regard to aspirations of lots of people including the pope that we should reduce the consumption of hydrocarbons. the physics and economics in my magisterial is overwhelming. cannot bel not and resistant. the world will want to fly more and drive more and produce more energy and hims

lose one billion people and the world so far below subsistence it is criminal. they will consume hydrocarbons. i do not think there's any policy that can be passed that will stop at that. what can be done is to make it more expensive for those people or make it more expensive for us and not for them. wish you could argue is morally fine except it will not change in the underlying fact of air miles and road miles will go up and will be with oil, 90% of it. carbon dioxide emissions will increase. locked into the underlying demographics of the world and the physics of what people can actually do. aspirational that the battery will replace it or biofuels is silly. and the united states, 4% of his transportation energy from biofuels by using 40% of corn

acreage. the last time we use 40% of harvestable corn for transportation was in the age of the horse and buggy and we managed to get off of that. do the math here. if we take all of our corn and made into transportation fuel, the second-biggest consumer would get to 8% of our transportation comment from biofuels. it is silly to think it will happen. economically damaging and sell it. and morally wrong and i do not think it will happen. we will spend a lot of money trying to make it happen through regulation and tax. >> let me understand, you see no choice of increased hydrocarbon's. do we have a problem of doing that as we get to later into the century?

mark: without digressing into a debate on climate exchange to the extent the science is not accurate and by my articulating that way, i am not particularly a believer in the apocalypse. the fact is we will burn more hydrocarbon and we do not have a choice is my point. it is likely to the physics of energy and we will use more. it is locked into the human need for travel. we will use more. if there are negative consequences and there can be some, negative attributes to production and use of energy. in my view, we will mitigate those through technology and spending money. be cheaper and superior to not having the growth. it is not a choice we are making. what happens if the sun rises? it is going to rise. what we are dealing with in my opinion, trends.

when the sun rises, things happen. co2 emissions go up and some things might happen. as they will happen anyway. it will not stop. >> i want to ask you a question more about the funding of this improvement as you mentioned. $600 billion spent in the last 10 years and how much do you think of additional and/or mental -- incremental to be deployed to reach the efficiency and improvement? and isn't there a risk in terms of we have been operating in an environment with low interest rates, assets in shale companies have been attractive? ,ot available for the funding

who will step in to make your vision as you described a reality? oren: this will be the last question. get in all of the points. [laughter] money for theic shale. the idea it is public money, it is not correct. and i think there is plenty of money to go in with a lower rates of return but they will rise given higher interest rates with higher efficacy. required to get the efficiency is not the $600 billion. it does not drive the fantasy. it came because the efficiencies went up. you have to take advantage that it crates so much more production. trucks,vestments are upgrades to refineries, seismic energy and so much. the interesting thing about

going for his capital requirement, it is declining. a new cycle that do not exist 20 years ago. we can get more efficient the with everlasting capital. it means the capital now is not the constraint, capital constraints are what you are making money and can you afford to build pipes? are in this dance of what is my weight of return? -- wait of return? i get the 20% or 30% drive down continually in cost production. no shortage of capital, not just domestic but everybody in this room probably knows web's this giant influx of foreign capital in u.s. shale field. it is a really good place to make money and safer.

much better than some parts of africa. not exactly a pretty picture of what is happened in terms of the corruption. i think we will have no shortage of capital and the u.s. market. onconce the market figures out what is true. and i know the russians know what i say in my report is intrude and they know much more about this. -- true and they know more about this. they also know what i know. not a question of should it, not a vision, it is a consequence of what is happening in humanity. a lot of people in the world who do not have a car. a car twice as good as a prius which will happen. they already exist. it gets twice the miles of a prius.

when you add road miles to the world, it is a lot of fuel. we will supply a lot to the world which i think is transformational and exciting. , thatnant of the argument is the problem that has not been fully absorbed in politics or the geopolitics. the u.s. have gone from dependent player to and influence player. if we do it again with a calm the world's come -- we become the world's dominant provider. all things are good but fundamentally good for america. : thank you, mark. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> president obama spoke about climate change. his remarks are next. next, about the challenges facing women in an extent. -- in afghanistan. >> when congress returns from summer recess, they will debate the reauthorization of child nutrition support programs. tomorrow, agriculture secretary will talk about these programs at the center for american progress. we will have live coverage at 1 p.m. eastern, here on c-span. at a conference in anchorage, alaska, president obama said, urgent action is needed to combat private change. -- climate change. he was introduced by secretary john kerry. [applause]

secretary kerry: inc. you very much. thank you all, governor walker. lieutenant governor, and senator murkowski. we are so appreciative to all of you, to alaska for an absolutely spectacular welcome here. i think it is fair to say on behalf of all of my colleague who have been part of this daylong discussion, that this reception tremendous in alaska, but importantly a very constructive and substantive day. i think every delegation here would agree that we have coverage and anonymous -- covered an enormous amount of territory. and we reinforced here today that every nation that cares about the future of the arctic

has a responsibility to be a leader in taking action, and in urging others to take hold action in order -- bold action in order to deal with this challenge. it is immediate, and requires ambitious steps to curb the emission of greenhouse gases, deal with methane, fisheries, host of challenges that alaska particularly faces. there is no mystery, as we saw a reinforced in very dramatic presentations by a number of scientists, no mystery at all about what a failure to act would mean. we can already see it. we can already measure it. living atre every single day. we confirmed today that we cannot afford to wait until someone else moves to implement the challenges that confront us in the arctic. i'm very pleased that through today's glaciers meeting, we

made progress in the host of areas. our communique will summarize that, including addressing the issues of climate change, the impacts of it, and enhancing resilience, strengthening emergency response, improving air quality and promoting renewable energy, and household innovations that will increase efficiency and community health at the same time. thosene in this room, here at the circular table, and those in the audience, are connected to the arctic in some way. and so are all of the citizens that we represent. the fate of the region is not just the responsibility of the arctic, or the arctic states themselves. we agreed today, is everyone's responsibility. in mindth that purpose that i turned to the next speaker, who understands all of --s, all of what is extinct

at stake. threat posed by changing arctic has long been a priority for president barack obama. he has repeatedly defined climate change as one of the greatest challenges we face in this century. and the president has stated clearly what is happening in alaska is not just a preview of what will happen to the rest of us if we do not take action. it is our wake-up call. the alarm bells are ringing, to quote the president. since 2009, president obama has demonstrated he is committed to meeting this challenge before it is too late, not with words but with actions. that is why he put forward a national strategy for the arctic region that establishes a comprehensive and long-term vision for our arctic engagement. that's why he credits the arctic -- created the arctic executive steering committee to prepare and enhance coordination of national efforts here.

and that is why today thanks to the president's climate action, the united states is well on his way to meeting our international commitments to seriously cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and beyond while bolstering our , nation's resilience to ensure communities thrive and economies flourish. and that is why he has prioritized so many other things including, i might add, not a small symbolic step of renaming of a famous mountain and we can say denali never looked better than it does today. [applause] secretary kerry: that is why the president has prioritized working with so many partners , because he knows all of us together have to do so much more to meet this threat and have to do it now and it will not be done without our concerted, global commitment.

ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, barack obama. [applause]

>> want to thank the people of alaska for organizing this conference. the united states is a arctic nation. the united states is proud to chair the arctic council for the

next two years. to all the foreign dignitaries who are here, i want to be very clear. we are eager to work with your nations on the unique opportunities that the arctic resents and the unique challenges that it faces. we are not going to, any of us, be able to solve these challenges by ourselves. we can only solve them together. of course, we are here today to discuss a challenge that will define the contours of this century more dramatically. that is the urges and growing threat of the changing climate. our understanding of climate change advances each day. human activity is disrupting the climate. in many ways, faster than we previously thought. the science is stuck. it is sharpening. it proves that the once distant

threat is very much in the present. in fact, the arctic is the leading edge of climate change. our leading indicator. the leading indicator of what the entire planet faces. arctic temperatures are rising about twice as fast as the global average. over the past 60 years, alaska has warned twice as fast as the rest of the united states. last year was the warmest year for a left on record. just as it was for the rest of the world. in the impact is very real. permafrost destabilizes the earth. that threatens homes, damages transportation and energy infrastructure, which could cause billions of dollars to fix. this creates more acidic oceans and rivers.

it threatens the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local economies dependent upon fishing and tourism. reduced sea levels leaves villages unprotected for floods and storm surges. some are in imminent danger and some will have to relocate entirely. in fact, alaska has some of the swiftest shoreline erosion rates in the world. i recall what one alaska native told me a few years ago at the white house. he said, many of our villages are ready to slide off into the waters of alaska. in some cases, there will be no hope. we will need to move villages. the fire season is now more than a month longer than it was in 1950. more than 300 wildfires were

burning at once at some point this summer. southeast of here in the pacific northwest, even the rain forest is on fire. more than 5 million acres in alaska have been scorched by fires this year. that is an area the size of massachusetts. if you add the fires across canada and siberia, we are talking 300 million acres. that is an area the same size as new york. this is a threat to many communities, but it is also an immediate and ongoing threat to the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us. less then two weeks ago, three highly trained firefighters lost their lives in washington state. another is in critical condition. we are thankful to each and every firefighter for their heroism, including the canadian firefighters who helped us fight the fires in the state.

the point is, climate change is no longer something that is far off. it is happening here and now. climate change is disrupting our agriculture and ecosystems. our water and food supplies. our energy, our infrastructure, human health, human safety. now, today. and climate change is a trend that affects all trends. economic trends, security trends, everything will be impacted. it becomes more dramatic with each passing year. already it is changing the way alaskans live. considering the arctic sea mean -- arctic's you thin unique wort will accelerate the changes and

how we all live. the ice and the arctic has decreased by 40%. that has dramatically accelerated over the past two decades. one new study estimates that the alaskan glaciers alone lose about 75 gigatons, 75 billion tons of icg are. to put that in perspective, one scientist described a gated time of ice as a block the size of the national mall in washington. from congress, all the way to the lincoln memorial. four times as tall as the washington monument. that is what the alaskan glaciers alone lose each year. the melting is only getting faster. it is not twice what it was between 1950 and 2000.

twice as fast as it was just a little over a decade ago. it is one of the reasons why see levels rose by about eight inches. and why they are projected to rise another one to four feet this century. consider as well that many of the fires burning today are actually burning through a permafrost in the arctic. the permafrost stores massive amounts of carbon. when the permafrost is no longer permanent, one it thaws or burns, these gases are released into the atmosphere over time. that could mean the arctic may become a new source of emissions that further accelerate global warming.

if we do nothing, temperatures in alaska are projected to rise between six degrees and 12 degrees. that triggers more melting and for fires. more thawing of the permafrost. that is warming leading to more warming. we do not want to be a part of that. the fact is, climate is changing faster than our efforts to address it. that, ladies and gentlemen, must change. we are not acting fast enough. i have come here today as the leader of the world's largest economy, and the second largest emitter to save the united states recognizes our role in creating the problem and we embrace our responsibility.

i believe we can solve it. that is the good news. even if we cannot reverse the damage that we have already caused, we have the means, the scientific imagination, and technological innovation to avoid irreparable harm. we know this because last year, for the first time in the history, the global economy grew and global carbon emissions remained flat. we are making progress, we are just not making it fast enough. here in the united states we are trying to do our part. i took office 6.5 years ago. since then the united states has made investments in clean energy and reductions in carbon emissions. we harbor three times as much electricity from wind and 25 as

much from the sun. alaskans now lead the world in n the development of hybrid wind energy systems from remote grades. it is expanding its solar and biomass resources. we have invested in energy efficiency in every possible way. our buildings, cars, trucks, homes, even the appliances inside them. we are saving consumers billions of dollars along the way. here are not ask up, -- here in alaska, people have cut their energy bills by 30% on average. that saves alaskans $60 million each year. we helped build a climate resilient infrastructure. earlier this month, i announce the first set of nationwide standards to end the limitless

dumping of carbon pollution from our power plants. the single most important step america has ever taken on climate change. over the course of the coming days, i intend to speak more about the particular challenges facing alaska, and the united states as an arctic power. i intend to announce new measures to address them. we are working hard. we are going to do our part to meet the challenge. in doing so, we are proving there does not need to be a conflict between a sound environment and strong economic growth. we are not moving fast enough. none of the nations represented here are moving fast enough. let's be honest, there has

always been argument against taking action. the notion that somehow this will curb an our economic growth. this is a time when people are nervous about the economy. that is an argument oftentimes for inaction. we do not want our lifestyles disrupted. in countries where there remain significant poverty, including in the united states, the notion is, can we really afford to prioritize the issue. the irony of course is, few things will disrupt our lives as profoundly as climate change. few things can have as negative an impact on our economy as limit change. on the other and, technology has not advanced to the point where any economic disruption from

transitioning to a cleaner, more efficient economy is streaking by the day. clean energy and energy efficiency are not just proving cost effective. they are cost saving. the costs for things like solar power are coming down rapidly. we are still under investing. many of america's biggest businesses recognize the opportunities and are seizing them. they are choosing a new route. a growing number of american homeowners are choosing to go solar every day. it works. the american economy has grown more than 60% over the past 20 years and the carbon emissions are back to where they were 20 years ago. we know how to use less dirty fuel and grow the economy at the same time.

we are not moving fast enough. thanks to their efforts, america will reach the goal. we will reduce our carbon emissions in the range of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. that is why last year i set a new target. america will reduce our emissions 28% below 2005 levels by 10 years from now. that was part of the joint announcement we made last year in beijing. united states will double the rate in which we make our emissions. the world's two largest economies and two largest emitter skin together -- largest emitter came together.

i determined to make sure the american leadership continues to drive international action. we cannot do this it alone. even america and china to gather cannot do it ago -- do it alone. we have to do it together. this year, in paris, has to be the year that the world finally reaches an agreement to protect the one planet that we have got, while we still can. let me sum up. we know that human activity is changing the climate. that is beyond dispute. everything else is politics. if people are denying the facts of climate change. we can have a legitimate debate about how go to going to address this problem. we cannot deny the science.

we also know the devastating consequences if the current trend lines continue. that is not deniable. we going to have to do some adaptations and we are going to have to help communities be resilient because some of these trendlines are not going to be able to be stopped on a dime. we cannot stop them tomorrow. if those trend lines continue the way they are, there is not going to be a nation on this earth that is not impacted negatively. people will suffer. economies will suffer. entire nations will find themselves under severe, severe

problems. more drought. more floods. rising sea levels. the greater migration. more refugees. more scarcity. more conflict. that is one path that we can take. the other path is to embrace the human ingenuity that can do something about it. this is within our power. this is a solvable problem. if we start now it is. we are starting to see that enough consensus is being built internationally and within our party politics that we may have the political will, finally to get moving.

the time to heed the critics and cynics and deniers has passed. the time to plead ignorance is surely passed. those who want to ignore the science, they are increasingly alone. they are on their own shrinking island. so -- [applause] president obama: let's remember beyond the climate benefits of more resilient energy, the byproduct of it is we make our air cleaner. we also make our air cleaner and safer for our children to breathe. we are also making our economies more resilient to energy shocks on global markets. were making our countries less reliant on unstable parts of the world. we are gradually powering a planet on its way to 9 billion humans in a more sustainable way.

these are good things. this is not simply a danger to be avoided. an opportunity to be seized. but we have to keep going. we are making a difference but we have to keep going. we are not moving fast enough. if we abandoned our course of action and stop trying to build a clean air economy and do nothing to keep glaciers from melting faster in oceans for rising faster and storms from growing stronger, we will condemn our children to a planet beyond their capacity to repair. submerged countries, abandoned cities, fields no longer growing and indigenous people who cannot care of traditions that stretch -- cannot carry out traditions

that stretch back millennia. entire industries of people who cannot practice their livelihoods. desperate refugees seeking the sanctuary of nations not their own. political disruption that can trigger multiple conflicts. that is not a future strong economic growth not where freedom and human rights are on the move. any leader willing to take a gamble on a future like that, any so-called leader who does not take this issue seriously or treats it like a joke, is not fit to lead. on this issue of all issues, there is such a thing of being too late. that is why we are here today. that moment is almost upon us. that is what will convey tar people, tomorrow, the next day and the day after.

that is what have to do with we meet in paris later this year. it will not be easy. there are hard questions to answer. i am not trying to suggest that there are not going to be difficult transitions we all have to make. but if we unite our highest aspirations and if we make our best efforts to protect this planet for future generations -- we can solve this problem. and when you leave this conference center, i hope you look around. hope you have a chance to visit a glacier. or just look out of your airplane window as you depart and take in the god-given majesty of this place. for those of you flying to other parts of the world, do it again when you are flying over your home countries. remind yourself that there will come a time when your grandkids

and mine, if i'm lucky enough to have some, want to see this. they want to experience this just as with gotten to do in our own lives. they deserve to live lives free from fear and want and peril. ask yourself if you are doing everything you can to protect it? are we doing everything to make their lives safer and more prosperous? let's prove that we care about them and their long-term futures. not just short-term political expediency. i had a chance to meet with some native peoples before i came in here.

and they described for me villages that are slipping into the sea. and the changes taking place. changing migratory patterns. the changing fauna so that was used to feed the animals that they would in turn hunt or fish are beginning to vanish. it is urgent for them today, but that that is the future for all of us if we do not take care. your presence here today indicates your recognition of that. but it is not enough to just have conferences. it is not enough to just talk the talk. we have got to walk the walk. we've got work to do.

and we have got to do it together. thank you. and may god bless all of you and your countries and thank alaska for your wonderful hospitality. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats until announced delegation departures.

>> a couple live events to tell you about on c-span2. julian castro will be joined by to kickoff the housing conference. we have live coverage tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. eastern. we have a conversation tomorrow about the impact of russian arms technology transfers to china will stop that is at the center of the tread -- strategic and international studies. >> next, a former state department consultant speaks about women in afghanistan.

the american committees on foreign relations spoke about the priorities, challenges, and progress of afghan women since the fall of the taliban. the channel city club posted this event in santa barbara, california. [applause] wow. quitet think i ever had such a warm and wonderful introduction and a want to thank my very good friend judy, who has been such a support and inspiration to me also for so many years now for the great here innow she does out this beautiful part of our country and i cannot tell you how honored i am to be here and to have another dream come true

to be back in santa barbara. it is really almost like the ark of my life having kind of cut my teethcal and policy during the reagan administration. i never dreamed i would get out here. i never dreamed i would see the reagan ranch, which was such a moving experience for me on saturday. man -- i had the seen the man as the head of ronald reaganelt as the man, the genuine person that he was and remains for all of us who work for him, who knew him and loved him. here i am today speaking in the reagan room of this beautiful place named, of course, for another great american, seth parker, someone whom i loved as a kid growing up. burke at theatt

white house once and saw davey crockett when he king in. daniel byrne is good too. nother chaptert ' of my life. i am so pleased to be here today, talking about one ongoing chapter of my life. one way, i feel like those american express commercials. do you know me? most people know me as the committee director. i am also a professor at catholic university but really a huge part of my life i call my pro bono work. it is the volunteer work, the ongoing work i do with and for the wonderful women of cause itan, a

first became involved in in september of 2002. on september 9, 2002, i began a new job at the u.s. department of state heading at the international women's issues office and as you can imagine, the cause of the woman in afghanistan was issue and priority number one. at that point, i probably have trouble still finding afghanistan on the map. i guess a lot of americans would have had a hard time. i certainly had never, ever before -- although i have been to different countries and regions -- never met anyone from afghanistan. i even must confess that i don't ofnk i have ever known anybody from the islamic faith. me.as completely new for

i was very involved with afghanistan. i traveled there several times when i was in the women's issues office at state. country, to meet those people -- and especially the women. and now here 13 years later, when i meet particularly with young afghan people in washington and i remember one meeting recently at the u.s. institute of peace in washington on afghanistan and we were going around the room. young afghan delegation. so they get to me and i think what do i say?

they have been so many different affiliations with a aniston -- with afghanistan. i said i have been involved in afghanistan for 13 years and this one man sat up and looked at me and said 13 years? and then i realized this young man -- this had been more than half of his life that i have been working on this wonderful cause. so, i think it is a very critical time and yet a very challenging time to be speaking about the cause of women in afghanistan and i should say the men who support them. that is often a misconception that it is such an awful, oppressive problem. again, i have

heard from different woman, scholars, "i wouldn't be here if it weren't for my father." "i wouldn't be here if it weren't for my brother." really, they have done so much to inspire and inform my life. i was going to say -- it is a difficult time to be talking this issue. we all know that the headlines like to proclaim that it is all going downhill, the security is -- getting worse, that attacks on civilians have increased, that the opium trade continues, that corruption is topant, and there is truth an aspect of each and every one of these challenges.

but it's humbling and yet a product opportunities for me to be here. because in spite of these in june, right now 2015, there are women in afghanistan and there are male supporters who know that their accomplishments could be regarded as fragile but they are determined to continue to work hard, to use any bit of help we can give them come and do the job they need to do. they don't really want anybody doing the job for them but they could use help. they are grateful for the help and every ounce of help and support we provide them -- believe me, the ripple effect is phenomenal. womanumbling because the

in afghanistan -- i will speak about some of them i know personally. they are more courageous, hard-working, resilient than i could ever hope to be. they make me proud to be here talking about their cause because they are among the most courageous, hard-working, and resilient people i know. here, i knowand -- when i am like here, i feel like i bring so many of them of on this podium with me -- up on this podium with me. i can tell you about parliamentarians, ministers, ,omen lawyers and judges midwives,journalists,

committed to help workers come entrepreneurs, business women, and young women leading the way for a new generation. i wish i could tell you about some of the specific individuals . i have met women across the board from these areas but i could tell you about a governor sarabi, the first woman governor in afghanistan. she was actually one of the vice president of candidates in afghanistan's election a year ago. ma,ould tell you about fati head of the afghan red crescent society. thet the woman who heads up society of women engineers in afghanistan.

a owns and runs a construction company. province were recently we heard reports of isis. i remember reading lisa and she said i own my own construction company and my brother works for me. she is pretty amazing. and i could tell you about fauzia.woman, she was elected to parliament in 2005 she has been reelected since then and she became the first speaker -- fema speaker of speakernt in -- female of parliament and afghan history. there is a great book about her called "the favorite daughter."

she was the youngest of 19 daughters. 19. when she was born, her mother took her out to die in the sun. took her outside to die. felt she hadafter, to rescue her. she went out and rescued her and pledged that she would be her biggest supporter and fauzia would be a favorite daughter. her father was in politics. he was assassinated. her mother moved the family to kabul. was getting ready for medical school, the taliban took over. she was prisoner in her own home

and was denied opportunity to work in further education. after the fall of the taliban, it was determined she was going to leave her medical training and going to politics and become part of the solution and the future for her country. i have met her several times. she continues to do amazing work. article, a very moving article just about a year ago and it was titled "a letter to my american sisters." i would really like to read part of that letter today because i can interpret so much on behalf of the wonderful women i am proud to call my afghan sisters, but i think when you hear it in their own words, they tell the stories the best. 12 long years in

afghanistan all stop -- afghanistan. many americans who did the international community in this country was a failure if not a mistake. not comey of americans to believe most of the goals of the international community, especially in regards to helping the women of afghanistan, were not achieved. she talks about the constant barrage of negative media coverage of afghanistan. she said it has focused on the progress of the war but not the afghan people and has reinforced the negative perceptions. for those of us, she says, especially the women of afghanistan who are on the ground fighting for justice and equality as mothers, sisters, wives, teachers, politicians, and more portly as citizens -- more importantly as citizens, there is a different reality that stands in contrast to what

has been accomplished. she said it is true afghan is and wearadise for women face a very uncertain future with the upcoming withdrawal of international troops. but this is a part that struck me -- she says, that if the world could only see through our eyes, they might get a glimpse of the fact that afghan women have come a long way over the last decade. kate has been a difficult journey marked by blood and violence, but we have made significant gains and achievements, which would not have been possible without the generous support of the international community, especially the american people. so i would like to point to some of those achievements that fauzia mentions in her letter to

her american sisters. the benchmarks of progress. education. afghanistan has basically rebuilt an education system that had for all intents and purposes stopped functioning. in 2002, only 900,000 students in primary school and all of them were male. studentsmost 9 million are in school and 40% of them are girls. i mentioned to some of the just byl achievements auzia, of women like f who had been leading the charge. 25% parliamentarians are women and in the last election, 20% of

the provincial council members were female. -- i remember that delegation where the young man stood up and found it hard to believe i had been working on afghanistan have his life and i remember him saying how much now among the young people -- the young men are proud and happy to work alongside their female counterparts. the young generation really is -- i remember a woman on that same delegation. she said you have to understand we were born in war, we grew up during work, and we live in war. we are 60% of the voters. we are sacrificing our lives for a better future because their

work leading up to the election puts them at great risk. there haveth sector, been significant gains. the afghanof population now has some access to basic health care. this is a massive increase from just 8%. now, you have more than 60% of the population. to thein great part system, community health programs have helped to reduce the maternal mortality rate by 80%. the infant mortality rate by about 23%, meaning this is saving 80,000 newborn lives each year. there have been significant

increases in life expectancy for both men and women. .hat to the political the young people and women were actively courted by all of the candidates in the field, particularly the top two. and i think we just need to think "yes, that election was not problem free." there were charges of fraud and the handling of things but the election and the way it proceeded exceeded people's expectations and i think it's important to look at the fact that in that election, about 60% .f eligible voters voted one was the last time we had 60% of our eligible electorate voted

in our election? economy, women are starting businesses. programs.raining women comprise 60% of the country's agricultural workforce. perhaps all of these positive changes is the ability to dream. i remember my first trip to afghanistan and hearing young woman say "you know, i was toied my basic human right an education. i didn't have the ability to dream. we were prisoners, oppressed, we had no future." now when you talk to little girls in afghanistan, they will

tell you their dreams. "i want to be a pilot peer cap -- pilot." copent to be a doctor or -- dr.." the picture is certainly not rosy. of all the times i've spoken to audiences about the achievements and challenges of the women of afghanistan, this is one of the hardest moments. the reports are not good. the fear among the women is very clear. they are very heartfelt. whenat a time in the u.s. there is a great time of afghan fatigue and certainly donor fatigue. we live in a world where we want

instant change, instant progress atm. atm -- and we cannot forget the fourth transition needed and it is the generational transition, which holds great promise. still as i mentioned ongoing problems, it is hard to believe despite all the efforts, more than 70% of afghans over the age .f 15 cannot read or write have of all afghan girls are .till not in school of those in school, if you stay long enough to make it through secondary school. child marriage is still a

scourge. so, how do we address this? what are the tools in our kit? audiences, asked by don't we try to take solutions or a possible solution and we try to prescribe something that would never work in their culture. one of the best approaches we have used in afghanistan, the low cost comes sustainable efforts, have been because of partnerships. my basic approach to a lot of issues is find a way to connect the dots and that means not just connecting houses, education,

health, connecting the issue dots come -- dots, but connecting the dots that are the players. one of the most successful initiatives i have been involved in over 13 years is the u.s. afghan women's council. it was headquartered then and started out at the state department. it was launched by president ofrge w. bush in january 2003. colleaguessed by my then at the u.s. department of state to be able to respond to from theing outpouring american people. business men and women, academics, democrats and republicans alike, we didn't care. we wanted a way to harness the

ofrgy and ideas and support leaders across the board that said i see the situation of the lumen of afghanistan and i want to help. so we worked together, pulled together. the council is still very much alive and well in supporting its members projects. recently, we had a wonderful meeting in dallas, texas. it was hosted by laura bush at the first lady of afghanistan. what a fascinating meeting to be a part of. we had an honest discussion around the table. different members. one lady is a business lady. she runs a wonderful program.

she came up with the idea after her first visit to afghanistan and said she wanted a business that afghan women can be part of. rugs, we design the will make it part of the deal to get the support. children have to go to school. the woman will run the businesses, we will sell the rugs come all of the profit goes back to the project. it is a fabulous project. they are beautiful products. connie was just one person in dallas. there were some afghan women who were there. one woman does an amazing job

running orphanages and mobile training clinics for women to soch them some basic skills they can start their own business and be self-sufficient and provide for their families. so the council really was a partnership. , public and.s. private. it was a way to join forces, make strength in numbers, and to really respond. criticism of here the projects in afghanistan being our ideas. did anybody consult the women of afghanistan? everything the council has supported and been involved in has been very much in response to the priorities of afghan

women themselves. that means education, political employment, and health. those were the topics that came up again in dallas. one of the council members provided a description several years ago. she said initially, the work we digging at aike mountain with a spoon. then the spoon became a shovel and the shuttle became a bulldozer. joining together, you get stronger. , involved with an organization they are afghan americans who went back. they started one of the three

top telecommunications companies in afghanistan. the foundation has built 12 hospitals across afghanistan, focusing on maternal and child health. dhey help support the new buil at the american university of afghanistan. they are supporting projects to dig wells, to provide water, sanitation, health projects. aid, just across the board. they do it quietly and with great determination. they recently joined forces with another foundation and went over and city 1700

children in afghanistan with hearing aids so they could hear for the first time. projects thateted are having a ripple effect. another organization i'm involved with is a scholarship and leadership program involving a number of u.s. colleges and universities that provide full four-year scholarships for rising women leaders from afghanistan. graduatedwoman just from college. i got a note from her today and congratulated her on her graduation. if you ever have a chance, catch the 8.5 minute documentary film

she made. she made it as a student. she and her sister made this little film, which is amazing, about their quest to get their driver's licenses in afghanistan. it took great courage at the time. it is a story of their journey , she talksg women about what her future looked like now. she sees her future compared to what it looked like when she was growing up during the taliban when she said they were like in cages. they were prisoners in cages. then she composes herself and says now, i am going to try to inspire other women to stand up and be drivers of change in

afghanistan. she is one of the beneficiaries programprogram for josh .- program another young woman is already petitioning a chance to go back to afghanistan and starting a project teleconferencing speech pathologists here to train speech pathologists in afghanistan, which until recently only had one for the entire country. .he saw the need she is getting the academic background so she can, this project. she is doing some kick starters to get on the. , the otherthe dots efforts would the hearing aids. win-win can work out a

with that. build do we sustain and from some of the progress i have talked about, particularly in the midst of some of the challenges i mentioned? first of all, we have to remain steadfast in our commitment. we told the afghan people but particularly the women of afghanistan over different , differentions political parties, different secretaries of state, we will not abandon you, we will stay with you. we have to remember that commitment. i like to think we americans live up to our promises. i like to think we like to safeguard our investments and lord knows we have made a phenomenal investment in the future of afghanistan through our blood and treasure.

it is not a gift. that is taken likely. underappreciated, believe me. my last trip to afghanistan, there was a young woman that was a deputy minister of health. the day i was leaving and i was with the delegation and i said i have been out there to weeks longer than the delegation and she came up to me and took me by my hand and looked at me and said "promise me you won't forget us. me you won'tromise forget me, you won't forget us." i promised her and we as a

country have made that promise. said my plea to you would be please don't give up, please continue to support us. so this is heartfelt and we have to live up to our commitment. second, we have to make sure women remain part of the deal. whatever security assistance package, negotiations with the plan thathatever new might carry forward though and aspiration for more jobs and economic opportunity. we have to make sure women are part of the deal. we have to focus on youth. two thirds of afghanistan's population is under the age of

25. populationof their of 30 million people under the age of 25. 42% of the population is under the age of 15. we can all read the headlines. we know what happens now in this age of violent extremism. the extremists are targeting the youth. in terms of our capacity building, in terms of our efforts to prevent violent extremism if not stop it, we have to focus on the youth and we have to focus on their education and skills. education is the tool the insurgents fear the most. rightion is a basic human . its impact is transformative. i know soon you will have malala

this part of the country. of course, she is from pakistan but there are many malalas in that part of the world. i think often about some ring of the ministers in afghanistan said in terms of focusing on education and focusing particularly on connecting education to job skills. this is a couple years ago but i believe it still holds true. he was a minister for rural development. he said few insurgents are driven by theology, many are driven by unemployment. he said here is the key dollenge -- how and where you get the jobs needed each

year in a country where two thirds of the population is age 25 or younger? in my view, the minister said, it is unemployment rather than insurgency that poses the greatest threat to achieving a stable afghanistan. focus on technology. this is an area of hope. we do hear about technology being used by the bad guys as well. but it is really amazing when you think that women in afghanistan 13 years ago who really had no education, no literacy, no understanding of anything outside their home, that now there is about 80% of the women in afghanistan have cell phones now. that is an amazing opportunity.

not a techie but i do know about apps. there is a lot of useful information, a lot of education ,or health, citizen awareness peer-to-peer entrepreneurship endeavors that can be achieved through cell phones. is a way that we can come up with some creative solutions like begun woman i mentioned who is working on a speech by college of project. look at ways you can use to knowledge he to train people. can trains you people.

the government is working hard but they need to achieve a lot more in terms of tackling some of the big problems. to look at the win-win. i think that we're at a point in time where we think what is the smart thing for us to do? ,ust walk away from afghanistan not care about the progress that has been achieved? , to usesy to say culture as an excuse. and you look at its history how many times it's "culture" has changed. inre are positive changes

the air, even in the midst of the challenges, there is a lot of positive things happening. again, thinking about the arc that brought me here today and ronald reagan room, i think about something ronald reagan once said. he said "we cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone." it brought to mind a conversation i had with a group of women on my first visit to afghanistan. kate was any literacy center funded by the u.s. government. it was just a plain room where we all sat around a wood burning stove. there were about 25 women there ages 18-60. some were widows. they have to provide for their families alone.

this was soon after the fall of the taliban. i had thought that as we sat down that i should prepare myself to hear a lot of really hard stories about the suffering they endured, about their fear, their whatever. they each were so happy that someone showed interest in them, they couldn't stop talking about their hopes for the future. factwere so proud of the -- i remember one of the older woman said i can knit sweaters, i can sell them. one young woman said i know how to weave a carpet. right now, the men take our carpet and tell them to pakistan and we don't get any profits but i know how to do this.

that is why some of our projects have been helpful because we have offered partnerships with these women who deserve them. tellach one had a story to not about fears or victimhood, but about possibilities and their hope for the future and their self-confidence that with enough work, we can do it. one of my favorite expressions i have learned from them when -- from the women of afghanistan is "no problem." they love to say that. and going those women around the room and one of us said "see? everyone here knows how to do something." so, that is the arc.

we cannot help everyone but everyone can help someone and everyone here knows how to do something. so i welcome your questions, your support, and your interest on behalf of my sister's afghanistan. thank you. [applause] >> we had a microphone here in the middle of the room. it is very important to go to the microphone to ask your questions. >> to say that was inspiring is a gross understatement. this is a such a sincere question. as i listen to you and sure

there is true possibility and potential, i don't know what i can do. what can i do? is it money, tell me. ms. ponticelli: i think this has been a beauty and thank you for that question. it is one of the reasons the u.s. afghan women's council -- that was the genesis of it. what can i do? we wanted to make sure the point is, it is not just about writing though, trust me, and especially in this challenging time with donor fatigue, there are good organizations where you can make a strategic difference with a relatively small donation. but it is not just about writing a check. sometimes, it is about offering ideas. and i think that just making contact -- i mean, again, let me

go to my connecting the dots. if you are a dentist and you want to know about how you might -- and i actually was telling judy that story the other day -- talking to a group at the state department from kentucky and i got the same question. i said you know, your talents, ideas help. they can use anything. to send books to a school. if you want to know where a school is, i can give you the name of us w -- of a school. it is using our network. i heard once someone described the perfect definition of vocation. i heard it can be described as this -- the connection between one's deepest desires and the world the greatest needs. deepest desire is to

help on the literacy front, to help children have access to books, there is a way to do that. i think we connect, we target the need, and we do it. i want to show you this because i think this is one of the most effective brochures. thank you for that question. i hope i answered it. if anybody wants to help, i will give you my card. love -- there were young afghan woman that helped design this brochure. educated women lead to lasting change. eir education is the change that makes the difference. participation is the difference that makes a change. so, this is the type of program.

it doesn't go to overhead. it goes to the women to support them, to help buy their books. where the medical insurance doesn't. there are all kinds of needs. they are going back and leading the way for change. it's a great program. sure. this would be a great example. thank you. >> i am just wondering what is the influence of the taliban at this point on the women? before we even went into afghanistan, i happened to go to different talks about the country and the woman had to burkas allurqa is -- the time, public amputation, the woman could not go to school.

how much influence do they have? ms. ponticelli: obviously, when the taliban fell out of power, you have the pockets in the part,ces but for the main there was a return to some ability of freedom. people look at that of think is that the symbol oppression? when you meet young afghan women, some might wear a scarf, some might not at all. i was telling judy the other day one of the first afghan woman i -- women i met, she actually ran for president at one point. remember her and some other

afghan women saying i remember when i could wear miniskirts or the younger woman would say my mother tells me she used to wear miniskirts. burka is usede primarily in the rural areas but a lot of those restrictions are no more. under the taliban, girls couldn't go to school. period. some of the bravest woman you will meet were those who ran underground schools during the taliban at the risk of their lives. one woman told me she became a deputy administer of the education ministry and she is one of those women who ran a school. she said we told the taliban it was a religious schools will be children would come with the

quaran. when the taliban would knock on the door, they would put the quaran back on the desk. whoe was one woman i met became the first head of the afghan midwife association. remember her telling us she had her son drive her around but didn't tell him what she was doing, which was delivering babies. she delivered 2000 degrees during the taliban regime. babies during the taliban regime. -- education,ents health, life expectancy. met,irst afghan woman i life expectancy was 42. now they have gained 20 years.

there has been tangible, real progress. the international community withdrawal leaves a vacuum and we open a door for the bad guys to come back in. that is what they are afraid of. the peace and reconciliation commission has kind of a token participation of women. but they are very fearful of negotiations with the taliban. >> what is the presence of americans at that point? are there still any troops as advisors? ms. ponticelli: yes. there are still troops there as advisors. we are trying to continue the military advisors there. they're trying to continue the capacity building for the afghan security forces will stop some women are -- forces. some women are involved in the police force. training, advising, assisting.

we are looking at complete withdrawal in maybe 18 months. it is a very short window and i often think -- a general i heard -- iwho was talked about have heard this story several times. it is a very vivid story of after the fall of the taliban and he was talking to a taliban representative and the taliban "you havehe general all the watches, but we have all the time. " >> thank you. >> i thought i would highlight one of your points, which was that a lot of young men are supporting women and having been part of the feminist movement in

this country, the mistake we made was not to include men. so what i'm proposing is we have of men and women here and a think that is a way we could connect electronically. so, i guess what i'm proposing is maybe we could help by mentoring. the netwe need to help and so instead of boots on the ground, we need hoots in the air. air --ink boots in the >> hoots. >ms. ponticelli: what? hoots. cheering people on. yes, support is wonderful. and i know there are so many universities in this part of the world, this state. they give out the ways in your

local colleges you could connect as well. you had michael smith, a former president of the american university of afghanistan. i think there is a great way to connect. and afghan women themselves tell that thank you for raising point. ,hey have told me for 13 years thanks for helping us educate our girls but we need to educate the boys too. [applause] ms. ponticelli: and thank you for training woman but if we're really going to advance the cause of women's rights and equality and women's opportunity, we need to train the men. so, we get involved in this gender thing and i never use that word when it comes to afghanistan because it is a

neutral term and it doesn't translate well. but women, men, mothers, fathers, family, they get that. and so do we. thank you. >> the last time i checked, there were approximately four countries in the islamic world theiruired sharia in constitutions. afghanistan was one. is that still the case and what is the prognosis for women in the future if that is brought to bear? thank you. ms. ponticelli: thank you. afghan women were very active in the drafting of the constitution. that was one of the big challenging points they had to work out. they did feel -- at least my thinkection is -- i

they're pretty proud of our constitution and they don't see a conflict between the particular clause and the equal rights for all citizens. so, they are working things out. the judicial process is one of their big challenges, the rule of law issue. so, they want to make their existing constitution work. we have amendments to our own constitution. so who knows? they may amend it sometime. to one big goal right now is try to make that first female appointment to the supreme court. women are pretty much relegated

to the family court right now and there is a lot of work that needs to be done on the rule of law and judicial systems. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much, charlie, for a very inspirational talk. thank you so much. we have a gift for you. we want you to come back to santa barbara, california. ms. ponticelli: thank you. >> thank you. [applause] ms. ponticelli: >> when congress returns from tomorrow, tom bill sack will talk about those

programs at the center for american progress. coverage at 1:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> a signature picture on book tv is our all-day coverage of fares from across the country. here is our schedule, beginning this weekend, we are live from the 15th annual national book festival from our nations capital, near the end of september, we are in new york, celebrating its 10th year. october, the southern festival of books and nashville. the weakened after that, we are live at austin with the texas festival. at the end of that month, we'll be covering to book festivals in madison and the boston book festival. at the start of november, we will be in portland, oregon for word stock. at the end of november, we are

live for the 18th year in the rope from florida for the miami book fair international. that is a view of the fares and festivals this fall. >> now i conversation on climate change and clean energy from sunday's washington journal. this is just under an hour. washington journal continues. host: and our sunday roundtable leadern weiss, he is a of campaigns. who focuseseutzer on energy economics and climate change. thank you for joining us. the president prepares to travel to alaska to focus on climate change and global warming. he will be the first president to travel to the arctic circle. what can we expect? guest: i think the president is going to talk a lot about the need to make our communities

more resilience to the impact of climate change. in alaska, for example, there are dozens of cities that are threatened from either erosion or softening tundra. they either have to be rebuilt or relocated, and that is going to cost millions and millions and millions of dollars. 85% of the communities in alaska face this. guest: i don't know. there has been warming for decades in a lot of places. what i know is that this is something the president has also been shilling for. it is not a climate ban. it will do nothing for global warming. the administrator of the epa admitted that as a -- at a hearing. he says this is doing essentially nothing to worldwide global temperatures. it is washington taking control of energy. it is not about climate. host: is global warming for

real? guest: global warming is real and we have had global warming since the end of the last ice age. apertures have been going up. they have been going up in the 1979 to the end of the 90's, they went up faster than they had been going up. they have slowed down dramatically depending on which endpoint to pick and whether you look at satellite or service temperatures. they are either totally flattened or they have shipped -- slowed down a lot. is warming, what we don't know is how dramatic and is and how bad is going to be if it is bad at all. host: moving forward what do you think is the best remedy? guest: the best remedy is that we don't know what is going to be the challenge. if we have the most vibrant, robust economy we will best be able to handle whatever those chage