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Al Gore's Ten Year Energy Challenge
A momentous challenge calling upon us to have the same spirit that birthed this nation and make no mistake about it, this is just as much an issue of Democracy as it is an economic, environmental, or national security issue. However, as usual, all we see on blogs and in the media by the usuals is bickering about whether climate change is "natural" or not when we already know that most of the effects on our planet we are seeing are a result of human behavior.That has been debated ad nauseum, and is why this country will wind up at the back of the pack when other countries pass us up regarding coming into the 21st Century. We are stuck in first gear still while the rest of the world is in drive.
We have been getting our oil from the Middle East and now will we get our solar panels from there too because we in this country are so myopic and politically polarized to the point that we cannot even concede one damn point? The alternate energy market is just waiting for a boom in this country. Employment in this country would soar and with investment, we would get the economic shot in the arm we need to avoid economic collapse while saving ourselves. Many say (even people in his own party) that Mr. Gore made this proposal at the wrong time with gas prices being so high... to that I say, WHAT?
This was the absolute right time to come out and tell people the truth that they are being lied to and duped by big oil and coal. This was exactly the right time to come out and tell people that they have a CHOICE and that they have the power in this next decade to put those choices into motion. That they have other options for energy that can be cheaper than what they are using now. Of course the oil and coal companies and special interests and their minions are not too happy about that, but I say, screw them. They have done more harm to this planet and economy with their pollution and wars than any alternate energy being instituted could do. It is time for them to see that their way is not the best way for the continued sustainability of this planet and work to make amends for what they have done.
The Earth as it stands now is going through changes in climate that are too exacerbated to just be natural and the cost of ignoring it far exceeds the cost of implementing changes to avoid it. What price do you put on a human life? That has been confirmed by the IPCC, NASA, the National Academy of Sciences, The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, and thousands of other studies and scientists' reports from around the globe. It is a known fact also that for YEARS scientists in possession of these facts have been gagged by our government to keep quiet about it, because the very thing Mr. Gore stated must be done is something they don't want to do because they believe it will ground their gravy train.
More at the link. A momentous challenge calling upon us to have the same spirit that birthed this nation and make no mistake about it, this is just as m... more -
G-8 leaders only pledge to halve emissions by 2050
Pledging to “move toward a low-carbon society,” leaders of the world’s richest nations endorsed Tuesday the idea of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050, but did not specify whether the starting point would be current levels or 1990 levels, and refused to set a short-term target for reducing the gases that scientists agree are warming the planet.
The declaration by the so-called Group of Eight — the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Russia — came under intense criticism from environmentalists, who called it a missed opportunity and said it ignores the urgent need to cut emissions more rapidly.
However, European leaders, who have long pressed President Bush to adopt a more aggressive stance on climate change, said they were pleased with the agreement, which is nonbinding. They cast it as an important step toward laying the groundwork for a binding international treaty, to be negotiated in Copenhagen in 2009 under the auspices of the United Nations.
“This is a strong signal to citizens around the world,” the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, told reporters at a news conference near here. “The science is clear, the economic case for action is stronger than ever. Now we need to go the extra mile to secure an ambitious global deal in Copenhagen.”
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To me this sends a strong signal that for the fate of this Earth and our species to be in the hands of these eight countries means that nothing effective will be done to solve this urgent crisis. Again, this is what happens when you make this crisis a political issue. Halving by 2050 is NOT GOOD ENOUGH. The Arctic ice will be melted by then (which of course they probably want to be able to plunder the resources there as well,) coal plants will have spewed millions of tons of toxic gases into the air by then, and many islands in other parts of our world already threatened by sea level rise will be feeling the affects of our behavior. As it stands now we are approaching the third degree of a six degree doomsday scenario. Are these leaders so greedy and blind to scientific reports that they actually think this is good enough? And the fact that it is non binding is simply and honestly, BS.
As an environmentalist but more importantly as a citizen of the world I am outraged that these men of rich countries think they can tell the poor of this world who will feel the brunt of this most what they are going to do. I say it is time for people to tell them that they are going to do what must be done. I now have little hope for Copenhagen next year. All I see are political leaders using this crisis as an economic ping pong ball and bargaining chip as droughts become more pervasive and prolonged, glaciers continue to melt, storms become more intense, and the resources that we depend on from our land and oceans become scarcer and more polluted. As it is already the oceans are more acidic than we thought, and should this be the first summer the Arctic is ice free it is only a portent of more to come. We don't have until 2050 for politicians to get around to this!
What will it take to get the message through to these people? A global revolution? Remember this also, all of this opens the doors for government and multi nationals to continue their chokehold on the poor and oppressed. This climate crisis is just what they are looking for to institute a one world government and make the most profit they can from this. So of course, they will take their time. That is why they alone cannot be allowed to dictate to us what our future will be, especially when our survival is on the line. Good enough? No. It is an outrage. Pledging to “move toward a low-carbon society,” leaders of the world’s richest nations endorsed Tuesday the idea of cutting greenhouse... more -
Google ordered to hand over personal details of millions of YouTube users to Viaco...
Google was yesterday ordered to hand over the personal details of anyone who has ever watched a YouTube video.
The ruling - which has massive privacy implications for millions of internet users - was made as part of the search engine's legal battle with content provider Viacom over allegations of copyright infringement.
Under the ruling, Google, which bought YouTube for $1.65 billion (£820 million) in 2006, must hand over to Viacom its viewing log - which includes users' log-in information and their IP address, the code that identifies their computer.
Although the case is being contested in the U.S., legal experts warned last night that the ruling would almost certainly apply to YouTube users worldwide, including those in the UK. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an internet freedom campaign group, described the judgment as a ' setback' to online privacy rights.
[snip]
In one case, the Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth had been viewed 1.5 billion times.
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More at link. Google was yesterday ordered to hand over the personal details of anyone who has ever watched a YouTube video. ... more -
Could Just One Degree Change The World?
This is where we are at now, also experiencing the events catagorized at two degrees... which is why doing all we can now from an individual to a global level is imperative to us not going to 2 plus degrees and beyond. Six degrees is considered the doomsday scenario... and it is up to the human race as to whether we ever reach that. Not fear, reality.
Click on the link to see all the videos here. This is where we are at now, also experiencing the events catagorized at two degrees... which is why doing all we can now from an indi... more -
NYC Underwater
New York Underwater features the art of over 50 artists, depicting a New York flooded by rising seas.The Antagonist Movement hosts weekly art shows in NYC's East Village, showcasing creative artists and writers with a nonconformist bent. The movement "antagonizes" artists to create, providing a theme, a venue, an audience and a deadline. antagonistmovement.com New York Underwater features the art of over 50 artists, depicting a New York flooded by rising seas.The Antagonist Movement hosts wee... more
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An Inconvenient Truth; The Opera
Al Gore's famous keynote presentation is already a book, Oscar-winning movie and popular topic of debate. So what more could Gore want? Jeeez, the presidency?
Following in the footsteps of such epic films as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Legally Blonde The Musical, An Inconvenient Truth will soon "hit the boards." And we're not talking the dregs of off-Broadway. According to The New York Times, Milan's legendary opera house, La Scala, is in contracts to mastermind a masterful production: An Inconvenient Truth The Opera.
Humph? Opera? That's a great way to spread the message to the masses . . .
Alas, opening night is not until 2011, but here's a little teaser of what the opera might look like--just to tide us over.
Please watch! I guarantee you'll get a good chuckle, especially from the last scene which features a very sweet polar bear, group of skeptical scientists and that infamous cherry picker.
Al Gore's famous keynote presentation is already a book, Oscar-winning movie and popular topic of debate. So what more could Gore want... more -
Kiribati likely doomed by climate change: president
The president of the low-lying Pacific atoll nation of Kiribati said Thursday his country may already be doomed because of climate change.
President Anote Tong said communities had already been resettled and crops destroyed by sea water in some parts of the country, made up of 33 coral atolls straddling the equator.
Tong was one of several international figures in New Zealand's capital to promote action on climate change for World Environment Day.
Although scientists are still debating the extent of rising sea levels, Tong told a press conference that changes were already obvious in his country of 92,000 people.
"I am not a scientist but what I know is that things are happening we did not experience in the past," Tong said.
"We may be beyond redemption, we may be at the point of no return where the emissions in the atmosphere will carry on to contribute to climate change to produce a sea-level change that in time our small low-lying islands will be submerged," he said.
"Villages that have been there over the decades, maybe a century, and now they have to be relocated.
"Where they have been living over the past few decades is no longer there, it is being eroded."
He said at international meetings others had argued that measures to combat climate change would hurt their countries' economic development.
"In frustration, I said, 'No, it's not an issue of economic growth, it's an issue of human survival.'"
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Not an issue of economic growth, or political haggling one way or the other to get votes in an election year... it is an issue of human survival. So clear, so concise, so true. Why then can't humanity as a whole get it? How much longer do we need? When it hits home? The president of the low-lying Pacific atoll nation of Kiribati said Thursday his country may already be doomed because of climate cha... more -
Cut Co2 To India's level, top scientist warns
Rich nations need to cut per-capita greenhouse gas emissions to India's current levels by mid-century to avoid devastating climate change, Britain's former chief scientific adviser said on Wednesday.
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) levels from burning fossil fuels were already rising quickly and rich nations needed to quickly figure out how to maintain economic growth while committing to deep cuts in emissions, said David King.
"If you (don't want) run-away climate change, you need to be at about 350 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 ... We're currently at 387 ppm CO2, going up at 2 per annum," said King, director at Oxford University's Smith School of Enterprise and Environment.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most common greenhouse gas, and atmospheric levels are sometimes measured as CO2 in parts per million. Collectively, all greenhouse gases can also be expressed as CO2 equivalent (CO2e).
King said that maintaining atmospheric CO2 levels at 450 ppm risked a 20 percent chance of global temperatures rising nearly 4 degrees Celsius.
"If you include all greenhouse gases, we're at around 420 ppm CO2e," he said, speaking at a climate change workshop hosted by Thomson Reuters in London.
He said Europe needed to reduce its annual per-capita emissions by 80 percent, or from 11 tonnes of CO2e, to India's current level of 2.2 tonnes per person by 2050.
The United States, emitting an average of 27 tonnes of CO2e per person every year, also needs to fall to these levels if the world is to avoid a dramatic rise in temperatures, he said.
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And I agree, except I think those percentages should be by at the least 2030. I don't think we have until 2050. Certainly not in the Arctic.
Rich nations need to cut per-capita greenhouse gas emissions to India's current levels by mid-century to avoid devastating climate cha... more -
I can see my house from here...and it's under water!
Google Earth has teamed up with the U.K. government to produce a new layer that shows vividly how the Earth will change this century due to global warming.
Over the course of the century, you can watch the earth heat up in an animation that ultimately leaves the Arctic nearly 20 degrees (C) warmer than in 1999. Most areas across the United States appear somewhere between 4 and 10 degrees warmer.
Specific predicted impacts are shown, such as extreme summer heat waves and choking air pollution in Northeastern cities, decreasing water supply in California and increasing wildfire risk across the West.
These projections represent a middle-path scenario. They assume that something is done to curtail emissions of greenhouse gases, but not as much as the scientific community and United Nations has said is necessary.
“Climate change is redrawing the maps of the world. Its impacts will be felt everywhere, as sea levels rise, crops fail, extreme weather increases and more areas are at risk of drought and flooding," said U.K. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn. "This project shows people the reality of climate change using only moderate estimates – both the change of the average temperature where they live, and the impacts it will have on people’s lives all over the world – including here in Britain. Only by enabling people to understand what climate change means for them and for the world can we mobilize the action we need to avoid the worst effects of a changing climate."
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And as stated, this is only a moderate estimate placing faith in the human race to get its act together in time. Google Earth has teamed up with the U.K. government to produce a new layer that shows vividly how the Earth will change this century d... more -
Climate 'accelerating bird loss'
Climate change is "significantly amplifying" the threats facing the world's bird populations, a global assessment has concluded.
The 2008 IUCN Bird Red List warns that long-term droughts and extreme weather puts additional stress on key habitats.
The assessment lists 1,226 species as threatened with extinction - one-in-eight of all bird species.
The list, reviewed every four years, is compiled by conservation charity BirdLife International.
"It is very hard to precisely attribute particular changes in specific species to climate change," said Stuart Butchart, BirdLife's global research and indicators co-ordinator.
"But there is now a whole suite of species that are clearly becoming threatened by extreme weather events and droughts."
In the revised Red List, eight species have been added to the "critically endangered" category.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED - NEW ADDITIONS
Tristan albatross
Spoon-billed sandpiper
Tachira antpitta
Reunion cuckooshrike
Mariana crow
Floreana mockingbird
Akekee
Gough bunting
(Source: Bird Red List 2008 update)
One of these was the Floreana mockingbird (Nesomimus trifasciatus), which is confined to two islets in the Galapagos Islands.
From an estimated maximum of 150 in the mid-1960s, the population has fallen to fewer than 60.
Conservationists listed the mockingbird as Critically Endangered because it experienced a high rate of adult mortality during dry years that have been linked to La Nina events.
Dry years have become more frequent in recent years, and have been blamed as the main driver of the current decline.
"Another threat for small island species, such as the Floreana mockingbird, is the threat from invasive species, in particular mammals and plants," Dr Butchart told BBC News.
"They are having a devastating effect on habitats. For example, goats and donkeys on Floreana are changing the ecological structure.
"Eliminating or controlling invasive species is a very tractable conservation action that can help these birds hang on in the face of these additional pressures from climate change.
Climate change is "significantly amplifying" the threats facing the world's bird populations, a global assessment has concluded. ... more -
World CO2 levels at record high, scientists warn
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached a record high, according to new figures that renew fears that climate change could begin to slide out of control.
Scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii say that CO2 levels in the atmosphere now stand at 387 parts per million (ppm), up almost 40% since the industrial revolution and the highest for at least the last 650,000 years.
The figures, published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on its website, also confirm that carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than expected. The annual mean growth rate for 2007 was 2.14ppm – the fourth year in the past six to see an annual rise greater than 2ppm. From 1970 to 2000, the concentration rose by about 1.5ppm each year, but since 2000 the annual rise has leapt to an average 2.1ppm.
Scientists say the shift could indicate that the Earth is losing its natural ability to soak up billions of tons of carbon each year. Climate models assume that about half our future emissions will be re-absorbed by forests and oceans, but the new figures confirm this may be too optimistic. If more of our carbon pollution stays in the atmosphere, it means emissions will have to be cut by more than currently projected to prevent dangerous levels of global warming.
Martin Parry, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's working group on impacts, said: "Despite all the talk, the situation is getting worse. Levels of greenhouse gases continue to rise in the atmosphere and the rate of that rise is accelerating. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change and the scale of those impacts will also accelerate, until we decide to do something about it."
· Martin Parry will be speaking at the Guardian Planning for Climate Adaptation conference on May 19
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached a record high, according to new figures that renew fears that climat... more -
An Inconvenient Truth: Two years later
It has been two years since An Inconvenient Truth was released. These were my thoughts on it after seeing it for the first time:
I had a front row seat in a packed theatre to see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth last night. I can describe it in two words: a journey. It is Al Gore's journey of heart, soul, spirit, and mind through a lifetime of stewardship and also growth. For as much as this movie is a clarion call to all of us to now take our own journey for our planet, ourselves, and our children, it is also Al Gore's reckoning with himself. He lays his soul bare to warn us of the consequences of our inaction now regarding this crisis, because it relays to the events in his own life in the past that brought him to this point as well.
The scenes showing his early years in Congress, his son's car accident, the 2000 election (yes, I cried here,) and the very poignant scenes of him with his sister Nancy who died of lung cancer revealed to me a man not doing this out of any selfish political intent, but of a man who is telling you, the viewer, that even he has had to experience loss and near loss in his life in order to realize what he lost and how much of a part he played in it. I think those scenes were shown in direct correlation to this climate crisis and his message that we must not make the same mistake now with our planet.
Will we look back years from now regretting that we continued the very behavior that is contributing to this crisis even knowing what it is doing to our planet? Or will we take the necessary steps to change our ways and heed the warnings before it is too late? That is the question of this movie and there is no alarmism whatsoever in the presentation of the solutions we have at our disposal. Mr. Gore relays the facts starkly, calmly, and at times humorously, and clearly lays out what we can do to mitigate this crisis. And the scientific consensus cannot be denied that we as a species are contributing to it and it is having a definite effect on our world.
His statistics on Co2, invasive species, species loss, ice cap melting, population growth, etc., intertwined with footage from around the world showing the effects of the statistics he showed was all very well presented and backed up. I also never got the impression that any of this is about him in any other sense than him using himself as an example of someone who had to reach the bottom in order to reach for the top.
I laughed, I cried, and I saw before me on the screen a man who has surely come full circle with who he is and what his mission is, and that is handing that mission and truth to us. He says he is not a hero, and frankly, I didn't see a hero in this movie and that is a good thing. Heroes have a tendency to be placed on pedestals and forgotten. I saw something much more. I saw a prophet, a missive, and a trailblazer who has full faith in our abilty to save our planet. And we must not let our planet down, and that also includes those in government and the corporate world whose indifference to this issue can no longer be tolerated.
more at the link It has been two years since An Inconvenient Truth was released. These were my thoughts on it after seeing it for the first time: ... more -
Gore ducks as biofuel backlash builds
The campaign against climate change could be set back by the global food crisis, as foreign populations turn against measures to use foodstuffs as substitutes for fossil fuels.
With prices for rice, wheat, and corn soaring, food-related unrest has broken out in places such as Haiti, Indonesia, and Afghanistan. Several countries have blocked the export of grain. There is even talk that governments could fall if they cannot bring food costs down.
One factor being blamed for the price hikes is the use of government subsidies to promote the use of corn for ethanol production. An estimated 30% of America’s corn crop now goes to fuel, not food... The campaign against climate change could be set back by the global food crisis, as foreign populations turn against measures to use f... more -
The green issue - climate change - environment - energy efficiency - consumption
Why bother? That really is the big question facing us as individuals hoping to do something about climate change, and it’s not an easy one to answer. I don’t know about you, but for me the most upsetting moment in “An Inconvenient Truth” came long after Al Gore scared the hell out of me, constructing an utterly convincing case that the very survival of life on earth as we know it is threatened by climate change. No, the really dark moment came during the closing credits, when we are asked to . . . change our light bulbs. That’s when it got really depressing. The immense disproportion between the magnitude of the problem Gore had described and the puniness of what he was asking us to do about it was enough to sink your heart. Why bother? That really is the big question facing us as individuals hoping to do something about climate change, and it’s not an easy... more
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Bangladesh Faces Climate Change Refugee Nightmare
DHAKA (Reuters) - Abdul Majid has been forced to move 22 times in as many years, a victim of the annual floods that ravage Bangladesh.
There are millions like Majid, 65, in Bangladesh and in the future there could be many millions more if scientists' predictions of rising seas and more intense droughts and storms come true.
"Bangladesh is already facing consequences of a sea level rise, including salinity and unusual height of tidal water," said Mizanur Rahman, a research fellow with the London-based International Institute for Environmental Development.
"In the future, millions of people will lose their land and houses. Their survival will be threatened," Rahman told Reuters.
Experts say a third of Bangladesh's coastline could be flooded if the sea rises one metre in the next 50 years, creating an additional 20 million Bangladeshis displaced from their homes and farms. This is about the same as Australia's population.
Saline water will creep deeper inland, fouling water supplies and crops and livestock will also suffer, experts say.
Government officials and NGOs estimate about 10 million people are already threatened by annual floods and storms damaging riverine and coastal islands.
It is unclear how the government could feed, house or find enough clean water for vast numbers of climate refugees in a country of 140 million people crammed into an area of 142,080 sq km.
"We are taking steps to face the threats of climate change. Bangladesh needs $4 billion to build embankments, cyclone shelters, roads and other infrastructure in the next 15 years to mitigate the threats," Mohammad Aminul Islam Bhuiyan, the top bureaucrat in the government's Economic Relations Division, told Reuters.
"These are big challenges and only time will say how efficiently we address them, including finding accommodation for the displaced millions," he said.
DHAKA (Reuters) - Abdul Majid has been forced to move 22 times in as many years, a victim of the annual floods that ravage Bangladesh.... more -
NASA Captures Up Close View Of Melting Glaciers
This is the inconvenient truth up close. This is the effect of burning fossil fuel and spewing Co2 emissions at the rate of 70 million tons a day. This is the inconvenient truth up close. This is the effect of burning fossil fuel and spewing Co2 emissions at the rate of 70 million... more
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"No sun link" to climate change
Scientists have produced further compelling evidence showing that modern-day climate change is not caused by changes in the Sun's activity.
The research contradicts a favoured theory of climate "sceptics", that changes in cosmic rays coming to Earth determine cloudiness and temperature.
The idea is that variations in solar activity affect cosmic ray intensity.
But Lancaster University scientists found there has been no significant link between them in the last 20 years.
Presenting their findings in the Institute of Physics journal, Environmental Research Letters, the UK team explain that they used three different ways to search for a correlation, and found virtually none.
" The IPCC has got it right, so we had better carry on trying to cut carbon emissions"
Terry Sloan
This is the latest piece of evidence which at the very least puts the cosmic ray theory, developed by Danish scientist Henrik Svensmark at the Danish National Space Center (DNSC), under very heavy pressure.
Dr Svensmark's idea formed a centrepiece of the controversial documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle.
Scientists have produced further compelling evidence showing that modern-day climate change is not caused by changes in the Sun's acti... more -
Al Gore interview on 60 minutes
The Nobel laureate unveiled a new $300m advertising blitz intended to force a debate on climate change during the presidential elections. Gore appeared with his wife, Tipper, on the CBS program 60 Minutes to roll out the effort, is to donate a share of his personal fortune to the campaign.
Gore said he hopes to persuade Americans that protecting the planet transcends the usual political divisions.
A clip aired on CBS showed the Reverend Al Sharpton sharing a sofa with the conservative preacher Pat Robertson. The two men acknowledge they agree on almost nothing - barring the need to deal with global warming.
Other spots will feature the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, alongside New Gingrich, the conservative Republican who once held the same post.
The support from such conservative figures as Gingrich and Robertson marks a victory for Gore in his efforts to make global warming a cause for all Americans: evangelical Christians and fiscal conservatives as well as those on the left.
Gore also made it clear he has no intention of intervening to bring the democratic nomination contest to a close. "I'm not applying for the job of broker," he told CBS.
The advertising campaign is being created by an advertising agency whose work is familiar to American television viewers. The same agency produced advertisements for Geico car insurance using talking lizards and spoof of Planet of the Apes.
Gore acknowledged that so far Clinton and Obama have devoted relatively little time to discussing their platforms on climate change. But, as he told CBS: "I'm not finished yet."
The Nobel laureate unveiled a new $300m advertising blitz intended to force a debate on climate change during the presidential electio... more -
Al Gore On Sixty Minutes/Happy Birthday!
How I love this man! It is going to be so emotional to even see the ads from his organization play on television this next week. It has been such a long time waiting to have someone of his stature, conviction, and passion for our Earth take this step. To put his own money, time, creativity and knowledge into doing this for our future is just yes, heroic. After supporting him for over twenty years I can absolutely say I have never been prouder of him than I am today. He is not only a man who cares about this country, but the world. And to hear tonight that he is converting his family farm into a worldwide training center- well, SIGN ME UP.
He is also not only training people in India, but has also trained people in London, Australia, Spain, and will be training more people coming up next month in Canada. He is scheduled to be keynote speaker at events all over the world and will be instrumental in forging a climate treaty that truly meets the challenge of the climate crisis. It is more than I could have ever hoped for for him in lifting himself up from the pain of eight years ago, and it is as if that pain were meant to be to lead him to where he is now.
That hurt is still obvious in his face when he speaks of it, as well as his wife's, and when the last question came up I immediately looked at his wife's face and it said, oh no, not this again. He is over it. He is above politics. He is about working to help this species survive its own destructive behavior. That is most certainly a full time job that cannot be done from the tainted halls of the beltway.
I only hope that now as his new ad campaign embarks more people will awaken to seeing the urgency of what we face as a species and the limited time we have to make it right. We can solve it as Mr. Gore stated, but we all need the will and we need to stay on top of those who have the responsibility of doing that in government. However, I truly do believe business and individuals are and already will take the lead on this and that is primarily due to Al Gore's tremendous efforts and focus on the most challenging crisis this species has ever faced.
Happy Birthday tomorrow to a great man who has shown all of us that anything is possible when you put your soul and heart into it. He truly does inspire me. How I love this man! It is going to be so emotional to even see the ads from his organization play on television this next week. It ha... more -
Al Gore's Message To Climate Skeptics
I am so looking forward to seeing Mr. Gore's interview this Sunday night. I hope he gets to talk about The Alliance for Climate Protection's ad campaign scheduled to be launched next week, because I am hoping it brings a turning point in this country regarding the need to take action on climate change through awareness. And also, his response to the climate skeptics is right on target. Those centuries ago who claimed that the sun not the Earth was the center of the universe were treated with the same scorn and contempt as those scientists who have proven that we as humans are contributing to the affects of climate change. How fortunate for humanity that it did not place trust in those who thought the opposite or thought the world was flat.
I don't believe it is all about money either, though that is certainly a large part of it as many of those who dismiss the evidence of anthropogenic climate change in the skeptics movement have received money from oil and utility companies. I also think it is religious in nature (the will of God) opposing science, it is political, and it is also about the inability to take responsibility for one's actions.
None of those reasons however, should stand in the way of truth and that is exactly what those who refuse to see the evidence are doing: standing in the way of truth. Should we actually listen to the skeptics and decades from now after the glaciers have melted, after the water has begun to dwindle, after wars are fought for land, water, food and other resources with great loss to humanity and other species, will those who claimed this was all a hoax still believe that?
Let's hope we never have to find out. Let's hope we take action now to save not only the planet that is our only home but ourselves, a rare and precious species in a rare and precious universe too precious to bow to the whims of the few who simply wish to perpetrate lies to assuage their own wants over the needs of the whole.
Therefore, thank you Mr. Gore for being our Galileo.
<3 I am so looking forward to seeing Mr. Gore's interview this Sunday night. I hope he gets to talk about The Alliance for Climate Protec... more
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An Inconvenient Truth
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An Inconvenient Truth
