"PORTAGE GLACIER, Alaska -- As she marveled at the site of a shrinking Alaska glacier, the newly installed leader of the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that the president told her that fighting climate change should be her primary focus."

"'The president’s main priority for me was to recognize when I was coming in here that this is going to be a significant challenge and one in which the administration was going to begin to tackle,' said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.

While the Portage Glacier has been in a long retreat, the National Climate Assessment links the accelerated melting of glaciers and Arctic sea ice to global warming caused by human activity. Worldwide, most glaciers are losing mass and some are disappearing altogether."

Sean Cockerham reports for McClatchy August 26, 2013. [2]