美國國務卿希拉蕊4月6日在為期2週的北極圈理事會和南極公約專家諮詢首次聯合會議上指出：「全球暖化已對地球產生極大的影響，在處理這項危機上我們已經沒有時間可以再浪費了。」
希拉蕊表示，來自12個國家的代表1959年在華盛頓簽署南極公約，這項條約有時也被視為冷戰期間的第一個軍備管制協定，直到今日已有47個簽署國家，「而其結果就是讓南極成為地球上少數未曾發生過戰爭的地區之一。」
為了慶祝南極條約簽署50週年，希拉蕊表示：「南極公約的精神在於其實用的價值，條約原先的內容是為了符合當時的國際情勢需求，但條約本身和其相關的政策工具，對於我們現在面對氣候變遷這項急迫威脅時，仍然是一項重要的工具；氣候變遷已動搖了地球上每個國家，危害動植物種，以及重要的食物和水資源。」
希拉蕊進一步指出，連接威爾斯金冰架與南極大陸的冰橋崩塌了，這座長約25英里的冰橋連接了威爾斯金冰架、夏科島和萊塔迪島。
她表示：「支撐威爾斯金冰架的冰橋崩塌，提醒了我們全球暖化已經對地球產生巨大的影響，我們必須把握時間來解決這項危機。」
在聯合國哥本哈根年度氣候變遷會議上，各國預計將達成共同協議，嚴格限制造成氣候變遷的溫室氣體排放量，這項協議將在2012年京都議定書時效屆滿後正式生效。
認知到極地區域特有的科學重要性，同時做為氣候變遷中的反應者和指標，對於地球上的陸地生物、生態、氣候、海洋和大氣系統都相當重要，會議中通過的部長宣言要求政府成員承諾，透過科學方式來建立相關措施的合作發展機制，進而解決極地區域所面臨的威脅。
部長宣言呼籲國家、組織、科學家和其他利益相關人士「持續培育青年朋友成為下個世代的極地科學家，並且與一般民眾進行溝通，讓他們認知到極地研究對於地球上生物的重要性。」
"Global warming has already had enormous effects on our planet, and we have no time to lose in tackling this crisis," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the first-ever joint session of the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, which opened its two-week conference today.
In 1959, representatives from 12 countries came together in Washington to sign the Antarctic Treaty, which is sometimes referred to as the first arms control agreement of the Cold War, said Clinton. Today, 47 nations have signed it. "And as a result," she said, "Antarctica is one of the few places on Earth where there has never been war."
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, Clinton said, "The genius of the Antarctic Treaty lies in its relevance today. It was written to meet the challenges of an earlier time, but it and its related instruments remain a key tool in our efforts to address an urgent threat of this time, climate change, which has already destabilized communities on every continent, endangered plant and animal species, and jeopardized critical food and water sources."
Clinton pointed out that an ice bridge connecting the Wilkins Ice Shelf to the Antarctic continent broke off over the weekend. The 25-mile-long ice bridge connected the Wilkins Ice Shelf to Charcot and Latardy islands.
"With the collapse of an ice bridge that holds in place the Wilkins Ice Shelf, we are reminded that global warming has already had enormous effects on our planet, and we have no time to lose in tackling this crisis," she said.
At the United Nations annual climate change conference in Copenhagen, nations are expected to finalize an agreement to strictly limit the emission of greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. This agreement will take over when the first commitment period of the current Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012.
Acknowledging the unique scientific importance of the polar regions, both as actors and barometers of these changes, "which are vital to the functioning of the Earth terrestrial, biological, climate, ocean and atmospheric systems," the declaration calls upon government members of both groups to commit themselves to "using science to help inform the cooperative development of measures to address the threats to the polar regions."
The Ministerial Declaration calls upon states, organizations, scientists, and other stakeholders "to continue to engage with young people to cultivate the next generation of polar scientists, and to communicate with the general public to develop an awareness of the importance of polar research for life in all regions of the world."
