Rarely before has a statesman such clear words about the climate crisis found, as John Kerry at the award ceremony of the Arctic Circle Award 2019. As a laudator Iceland's former president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson spoke of an urgent need for an open, democratic, accountable dialogue , where the young activist has the right to ask questions and present views as the prime minister and distinguished leaders of business and science. The former U.S. Secretary of State received the award for his leadership on climate change and in his keynote speech he clearly stated what this meant for him. In the following Q & A session, he answered plenary questions to conclude, "If there's anything that's important, it's you. Everybody's got to be a citizen here. We can't let them fake it or avoid it."