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45th Vice President of the United States | ||
Al Gore is an American politician andenvironmentalist. He wasvice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001, theDemocratic Party'spresidential nominee in 2000, and the co-recipient of the 2007Nobel Peace Prize with theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
He has been involved with theenvironmental activist movement for a number of decades and has had full participation since he left the vice-presidency in 2001. His most famous effort since then was the documentaryAn Inconvenient Truth from 2006, where he warns for the consequences ofhuman-induced climate change for mankind.
Gore stated in an interview forThe New York Times that his interest in environmentalism began when he was a teenager:
As I was entering high school, my mother was readingSilent Spring and the dinner table conversation was about pesticides and the environment ... The year I graduated from college the momentum was building forEarth Day. After that, as I was entering divinity school, the Club of Rome report came out and the limits to growth was a main issue.[1]
Gore has been involved with environmental work for a number of decades. In 1976, at 28, after joining theUnited States House of Representatives, Gore held the "first congressional hearings on the climate change, and co-sponsor[ed] hearings on toxic waste and global warming".[2][3] He continued to speak on the topic throughout the 1980s[4] and was known as one of theAtari Democrats, later called the "Democrats' Greens, politicians who see issues like clean air, clean water and global warming as the key to future victories for their party".[1][5]
In 1989, while still a Senator, Gore published an editorial inThe Washington Post, in which he argued:
Humankind has suddenly entered into a brand new relationship with the planet Earth. The world's forests are being destroyed; an enormous hole is opening in the ozone layer. Living species are dying at an unprecedented rate.[6]
In 1990, Senator Gore presided over a three-day conference with legislators from over 42 countries which sought to create aGlobal Marshall Plan, "under which industrial nations would help less developed countries grow economically while still protecting the environment".[7]
The Concord Monitor says that Gore "was one of the first politicians to grasp the seriousness of climate change and to call for a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases".[8]
As Vice President, Gore was involved in a number of initiatives related to the environment. He launched theGLOBE program onEarth Day 1994, an education and science activity that, according toForbes, "made extensive use of the Internet to increase student awareness of their environment".[9] In the late 1990s, Gore strongly pushed for the passage of theKyoto Protocol, which called for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.[10][11] He was opposed by the Senate, which passed unanimously (95–0) theByrd–Hagel Resolution (S. Res. 98),[12] which stated the sense of the Senate was that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol that did not include binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized nations or "would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States".[13] On November 12, 1998, Gore symbolically signed the protocol. Both Gore and SenatorJoseph Lieberman indicated that the protocol would not be acted upon in the Senate until there was participation by the developing nations.[14] The Clinton Administration never submitted the protocol to the Senate for ratification. In 1998, Gore became associated withDigital Earth.[15] He also began promoting aNASAsatellite that would provide a constant view ofEarth, marking the first time such an image would have been made sinceThe Blue Marble photo from the 1972Apollo 17 mission. The"Triana" satellite would have been permanently mounted in the L1Lagrangian Point, 1.5 million km away.[16] This satellite would allow the measurement of the earth's changing reflectivity (albedo) due to melting ice caps, but the project was put on hold by George W. Bush's administration. The satellite was finally launched in 2015 as theDeep Space Climate Observatory.
In 2004, Gore co-launchedGeneration Investment Management, a company for which he serves as Chair. The company was "a new London fund management firm that plans to create environment-friendly portfolios. Generation Investment will manage assets of institutional investors, such as pension funds, foundations and endowments, as well as those of 'high net worth individuals,' from offices in London and Washington, D.C."[17] The fund's filed accounts showed profits in 2017 of £248.5m, with assets of £14.2bn. Turnover at the London-based operation was £293m with distributed profits of £193m to the firm's 32 members, one of the senior staff receiving £41m (The Sunday Times (UK), September 16, 2018).
Gore and The Alliance for Climate Protection created theWe Can Solve It organization, a web-based program with multiple advertisements on television focused on spreading awareness for climate crisis (global warming) and petitioning for the press putting more attention on the crisis, the government doing more to help the environment, and their ultimate goal is the end to global warming. Although focused mostly upon the United States, and Americans, it is an international petition and effort. It already has over one million signatures.[18]
In recent years, Gore has remained busy traveling the world speaking and participating in events mainly aimed towardsglobal warming awareness and prevention.[19] His keynote presentation on global warming has received standing ovations, and he has presented it at least 1,000 times according to his monologue inAn Inconvenient Truth. Hisspeaking fee is $100,000.[20] Gore's global warming presentations in several major cities have sometimes been associated with exceptionally severe cold weather, a juxtaposition since dubbed "the Gore Effect."[21][22] Gore is a vocal proponent ofcarbon neutrality, buying acarbon offset each time he travels by aircraft.[23] Gore and his family drivehybrid vehicles.[24] InAn Inconvenient Truth Gore calls for people to conserve energy.
In 2007, Al Gore was the main non-official representative for the United States in theUnited Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, which is a series of discussions that plans to continue where theKyoto Protocol left off when it expires in 2012.[25] He used a famousWorld War IIpoem written by PastorMartin Niemöller to describe how the international community is eerily accomplishing nothing in the face of the greatest crisis in human history.[26] He ended the speech using his famous tag line: "However, political will is a renewable resource."[27]
DuringGlobal Warming Awareness Month, on February 9, 2007, Al Gore andRichard Branson announced theVirgin Earth Challenge, a competition offering a $25 million prize for the first person or organization to produce a viable design that results in the removal of atmosphericgreenhouse gases.[28]
A public lecture atUniversity of Toronto on February 21, 2007, on the topic of global warming, led to a crash of the ticket sales website within minutes of opening.[29]
In March 2008, Gore gave a talk viavideoconferencing in order to promote this technology as a means, he argued, of fighting global warming.[30]
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On July 17, 2008, Gore gave a speech at theDAR Constitution Hall inWashington, D.C. in which he called for a move towards replacing a dependence upon "carbon-based fuels" withGreen energy by theUnited States within the next ten years. Gore stated: "WhenPresident John F. Kennedy challenged our nation toland a man on the moon and bring him back safely in 10 years, many people doubted we could accomplish that goal. But 8 years and 2 months later,Neil Armstrong andBuzz Aldrin walked on the surface of the moon."[31][32] Some criticized his plan. According to theBBC, "Robby Diamond, president of a bipartisanthink tank calledSecuring America's Future Energy,[33] said weaning the nation offfossil fuels could not be done in a decade. 'The country is not going to be able to go cold turkey ... We have a hundred years of infrastructure with trillions of dollars of investment that is not simply going to be made obsolete.'"[34]
On July 21, 2008, Al Gore used a speech to challenge the United States to commit to producingall electricity from renewable sources (AERS) like solar and wind power in 10 years.[35][36]Al Gore´sAlliance for Climate Protection In this speech, Al Gore says that our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels is at the core of all three of the economic, environmental and national security crises. Our democracy has become sclerotic at a time when these crises require bold policy solutions.[37]
Center for Resource Solutions supports Al Gore's Repower America goal.[38]
On September 24, 2008, Gore made the following statements in a speech given at the Clinton Global Initiative:
"If you're a young person looking at the future of this planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not havecarbon capture and sequestration."[39]
These remarks were similar to ones he'd made the previous year:
"I can't understand why there aren't rings of young people blocking bulldozers," Mr. Gore said, "and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power plants."[40]
In March 2010[41] two nonprofit organizations founded by Al Gore, the Alliance for Climate Protection and the Climate Project, joined together, and in July 2011 the combined organization was renamed the Climate Reality Project.[42] In February 2012 the Climate Reality Project organized an expedition to the Antarctic with "civic and business leaders, activists and concerned citizens from many countries".[43]
In 2013, Gore became avegan.[44] He had earlier said that "it's absolutely correct that the growing meat intensity of diets across the world is one of the issues connected to this global crisis -- not only because of the [carbon dioxide] involved, but also because of the water consumed in the process"[45] and some speculate that his adoption of the new diet is related to his environmentalist stance.[45] In a 2014 interview, Gore said "Over a year ago I changed my diet to a vegan diet, really just to experiment to see what it was like. ... I felt better, so I've continued with it and I'm likely to continue it for the rest of my life."[46]
In a plenary session of the 47th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) inDavos ofSwitzerland on January 18, 2017, Al Gore urged Prime Minister ofBangladeshSheikh Hasina to stop building the coal-poweredRampal Power Station close to the largest mangrove forest,Sundarbans.[47]
A "Climate and Health Summit" which was originally going to be held by theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, was cancelled without warning in late January 2017.[48] A few days later, Gore revived the summit, which he will hold without the CDC.[49]
Four main environmental criticisms have been leveled at Gore: (1) he has an alleged conflict of interest from his role as both an investor in green-technology companies and as an advocate of taxpayer-funded green-technology subsidies,[50][51] (2) he allegedly makes erroneous scientific claims,[52][53] (3) he consumes excessive amounts of energy,[54] and (4) he allegedly refuses to debate others on the subject of global warming.[55]
In reference to Gore's alleged conflict of interest, some critics have labeled Gore a "carbon billionaire."[56] In response to these criticisms Gore stated that it is "certainly not true" that he is a "carbon billionaire" and that he is "proud to put my money where my mouth is for the past 30 years. And though that is not the majority of my business activities, I absolutely believe in investing in accordance with my beliefs and my values."[57] Gore was challenged on this topic by Tennessee CongresswomanMarsha Blackburn who asked him: "The legislation that we are discussing here today, is that something that you are going to personally benefit from?"[57] Gore responded by stating: "I believe that the transition to agreen economy is good for our economy and good for all of us, and I have invested in it." Gore also added that all earnings from his investments have gone to theAlliance for Climate Protection and that "If you believe that the reason I have been working on this issue for 30 years is because of greed, you don't know me."[57] Finally, Gore told Blackburn: "Do you think there is something wrong with being active in business in this country ... I am proud of it. I am proud of it."[58]
Criticisms of Gore's allegedly erroneous scientific statements tend to focus on a British High Court's ruling that Gore's Inconvenient Truth documentary was deemed by the court to have nine significant errors.[52] Several of these, such as the statement that climate change was a main cause of coral reef bleaching,[59] and that polar bears were drowning due to habitat-loss as a result of ice-cap melting,[60] have been subsequently backed up by stronger evidence than the court was able to locate at the time. The court's broad conclusion, nevertheless, was that "many of the claims made by the film were fully backed up by the weight of science."[52]
Gore has also been the subject of criticism for his personal use of energy, including his ownership of multiple large homes.[61] TheTennessee Center for Policy Research (TCPR) has twice criticized Gore for electricity consumption in his Tennessee home. In February 2007, TCPR stated that its analysis of records from theNashville Electric Service indicated that the Gore household uses "20 times as much electricity as the average household nationwide."[62][63] In reporting on TCPR's claims,MSNBC'sCountdown With Keith Olbermann noted that the house has twenty rooms and home offices and that the "green power switch" installed increased their electric bill while decreasing overall carbon pollution.[64] PhilosopherA. C. Grayling also defended Al Gore, arguing that Gore's personal lifestyle does nothing to impugn his message and that Gore's critics have committed thead hominem fallacy.[65]
A few months later, theAssociated Press reported on December 13, 2007, that Gore "has completed a host of improvements to make the home more energy efficient, and a building-industry group has praised the house as one of the nation's most environmentally friendly ... 'Short of tearing it down and starting anew, I don't know how it could have been rated any higher,' said Kim Shinn of the non-profitU.S. Green Building Council, which gave the house its second-highest rating for sustainable design."[66]
Gore was criticized by the TCPR again in June 2008, after the group obtained his public utility bills from theNashville Electric Service and compared "electricity consumption between the 12 months before June 2007, when it says he installed his new technology, and the year since then."[67][68] According to their analysis, the Gores consumed 10% more energy in the year since their home received its eco-friendly modifications. TCPR also argued that, while the "average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year," the Gore residence "uses an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations."[68] Gore's spokeswomanKalee Kreider countered the claim by stating that the Gores' "utility bills have gone down 40 percent since thegreen retrofit." and that "the three-year renovation on the home wasn't complete until November, so it's a bit early to attempt a before-and-after comparison."[69] She also noted that TCPR did not include Gore's gas bill in their analysis (which they had done the previous year) and that the gas "bill has gone down 90 percent ... And when the Gores do power up, they pay for renewable resources, like wind and solar power or methane gas."[70]Media Matters for America also discussed the fact that "100 percent of the electricity in his home comes from green power" and quoted theTennessee Valley Authority as stating that "[a]lthough no source of energy is impact-free, renewable resources create less waste and pollution."[71]
In August 2017, it was reported that over the past year, Gore used enough electric energy to power the typical American household for over 21 years, as per a report issued by theNational Center for Public Policy Research. Reportedly, Gore consumed 230,889 kilowatt hours (kWh) at his Nashville residence alone. Additionally, Gore owns two other residences – a penthouse in San Francisco and a farmhouse in Carthage, Tennessee – making his carbon footprint even larger than what was reported. Gore's Nashville home actually classifies as an 'energy hog' under standards developed by Energy Vanguard.[72]
Some have argued that Gore refuses to debate the topic of global warming.Bjørn Lomborg, a key figure in theclimate-change denier movement, asked him to debate the topic at a conference in California. Gore replied that he would not, stating that "The scientific community has gone through this chapter and verse. We have long since passed the time when we should pretend this is a 'on the one hand, on the other hand' issue," he said. "It's not a matter of theory or conjecture, for goodness sake."[73]
Gore starred in thedocumentary filmAn Inconvenient Truth, released on May 24, 2006. The film documents the evidence foranthropogenicglobal warming and warns of the consequences of people not making immediate changes to their behavior. It is the fourth-highest-grossing documentary in U.S. history.[74]
AfterAn Inconvenient Truth was nominated for an Academy Award,Donna Brazile (Gore's campaign chairwoman from the2000 campaign) speculated that Gore might announce a possible presidential candidacy for the 2008 election. During a speech on January 31, 2007, atMoravian College, Brazile stated, "Wait tillOscar night, I tell people: 'I'm dating. I haven't fallen in love yet. On Oscar night, if Al Gore has slimmed down 25 or 30 pounds, Lord knows.'"[75] During the award ceremony, Gore and actorLeonardo DiCaprio shared the stage to speak about the "greening" of the ceremony itself. Gore began to give a speech that appeared to be leading up to an announcement that he would run for president. However, background music drowned him out and he was escorted offstage, implying that it was a rehearsed gag,[76][77] which he later acknowledged.[78]
After winning the 2007Academy Award for Documentary Feature.[79] the Oscar was awarded to directorDavis Guggenheim, who asked Gore to join him and other members of the crew on stage. Gore then gave a brief speech, saying, "My fellow Americans, people all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis. It's not a political issue; it's a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act. That's a renewable resource. Let's renew it."[80]
The official documentary film website is meaningfully called climatecrisis.net[81]
At the2017 Sundance Film Festival, Gore releasedAn Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, a sequel to his 2006 film,An Inconvenient Truth, which documents his continuing efforts to battle climate change.[82]
Gore wroteEarth in the Balance (which was published in 1992) while his six-year-old son Albert was recovering from a serious accident. It became the first book written by a sitting Senator to makeThe New York Times Best Seller list sinceJohn F. Kennedy'sProfiles in Courage.[83]
Gore also published the bookAn Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It, which became a bestseller. In reference to the use ofnuclear power to mitigateglobal warming, Gore has stated, "Nuclear energy is not the panacea for tackling global warming."[84]
In July 2017, Gore publishedAn Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power: Your Action Handbook to Learn the Science, Find Your Voice, and Help Solve the Climate Crisis, concurrent with his filmAn Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.
Gore appeared inMatt Groening'sFuturama ashimself and his own head in a jar in episodes related to environmentalism. Gore also reprised the role in the 2007 film,Futurama: Bender's Big Score.[85] In 2000 Gore had offered to appear in the 2000 season finale ofFuturama, "Anthology of Interest I". In this episode, Gore led his team of "Vice Presidential Action Rangers" in their goal to protect thespace-time continuum.[86] In 2002, Gore appeared in the episode "Crimes of the Hot".[87] In addition, Gore used a short clip fromFuturama to explain how global warming works in his presentations as well as inAn Inconvenient Truth.[88] An internet promo forAn Inconvenient Truth titledA Terrifying Message From Al Gore was also produced by Groening andDavid X. Cohen, creators ofFuturama, starring Gore andBender (John DiMaggio).[89]
On July 7, 2007,Live Earthbenefit concerts were held around the world in an effort to raiseawareness about climate change. The event was the brainchild of Gore andKevin Wall ofSave Our Selves. On July 21, 2007, Gore announced he was teaming with actressCameron Diaz for a TV climate contest,60 Seconds to Save the Earth, to gain people's support in solving the climate crisis.[90]
Al Gore has appeared inSouth Park to warn the citizens of the town about the dangers ofManBearPig, a monster that is half man, half bear, and half pig, originally while Al Gore was ridiculed by the main charactersStan Marsh,Kenny McCormick,Kyle Broflovski, andEric Cartman, they realized that Al Gore was being super cereal when ManBearPig was real and wreaking havoc in South Park and that it isTime to Get Cereal.
Gore was awarded the 2007Nobel Peace Prize, which was shared by theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, headed byRajendra K. Pachauri (Delhi,India).[91] The award was given "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change" on October 12, 2007.[92]
Gore made the following statement after receiving the prize:
I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—the world's pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis—a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.My wife, Tipper, and I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to theAlliance for Climate Protection, abipartisannon-profit organization that is devoted to changing public opinion in the U.S. and around the world about the urgency of solving the climate crisis.[93]
Gore and Pachauri accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 inOslo,Norway on December 10, 2007.[94][95]
In the Lecture he delivered on December 10, 2007, in Oslo, fece to the Royal Highnesses of Norway, to the members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and to the other ladies and gentlemen, who attended the ceremony for the Nobel prize-giving, he made this surprising statement:
Last September 21, as the Northern Hemisphere tilted away from the sun, scientists reported with unprecedented distress that the North Polar ice cap is "falling off a cliff." One study estimated that it could be completely gone during summer in less than 22 years. Another new study, to be presented by U.S. Navy researchers later this week, warns it could happen in as little as 7 years.
— Al Gore, from the Lecture delivered on December 10, 2007, in Oslo in occasion of the ceremony for the Nobel prize-giving[96]
In a talk given during March 2008 inDelhi, Gore argued thatIndia, as a leader ininformation technology, is in a particularly strong position to also lead the way in climate change.[97][98][99] This talk coincided with the release of two children's books by Gore jointly published with theIndia Habitat Centre.[100]
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)Al Gore uses the terms:
Over a year ago I changed my diet to a vegan diet, really just to experiment to see what it was like. ... I felt better, so I've continued with it and I'm likely to continue it for the rest of my life.
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