President Barack Obama opened his historic visit to Alaska this week with a warning to global leaders: take action now or forever face the consequences of climate change. That message marked the theme of the president's three-day tour of the nation’s 49th state.

"On this issue — of all issues —there is such a thing as being too late," Obama said in a speech that opened the “GLACIER” conference in Anchorage, Alaska.

A home destroyed by beach erosion lies on its side in the Alaskan village of Shishmaref. President Obama spoke at length about the climate change's impacts on Alaska Monday, Sept. 1st.

(Getty Images)

The president went on to suggest that not one of the nations represented at the conference, including the United States, is moving fast enough on an issue that scientists have warned about for years.

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Obama said that if the world stays the course, it will “condemn our children to a planet beyond their capacity to repair.” Before giving his speech, the president sat down to listen to the concerns of Alaska natives, regarding the high cost of energy and theregulations surrounding the fishing and hunting industries.

Obama’s tour will continue on Tuesday with a hike to Exit Glacier, where he will observe the problem of melting ice brought on by rising temperatures in the region. Later in the week, the president will speak to salmon fishermen whose profession has been directly affected by climate change and even appear in an episode of “Running Wild With Bear Grylls.”

The White House hopes that the president’s appearance on the popular show will bring the climate change issue to an audience they believe cares about conservation.

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The Aprapaho Glacier in Colorado in 1898. (NASA)