Gore says 2007 pivotal year in climate change fight

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: Reuters

Tue Oct 23, 2007
By Erik Kirschbaum

BERLIN (Reuters) - Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore said on Tuesday he was optimistic future generations would look back at 2007 as the pivotal year when the world finally found the courage to fight together against climate change.

In one of his first public speeches since winning a share of the award on October 12, Gore also said world leaders should meet in January under the auspices of the United Nations to act on the results of U.N. climate change talks in Bali in December. The former Vice President also renewed a call to speed up the timetable for a post-Kyoto agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions by two years to 2010. The Kyoto Protocol that runs to 2012 requires 36 nations to cut emissions.

"I believe our children and grandchildren will look back at the year 2007 and ask one of two questions," said Gore, who shared the prize with the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for raising awareness of global warming.

"Either they will ask about us -- What were they doing? What were they thinking about and how could they let that catastrophe happen? Didn't they listen to the scientists? Didn't they see the glaciers and polar caps melting? Didn't they see the fires?" "Or will they ask another question. I want them to look back at 2007 and ask: 'How did they find the moral courage to rise up and solve the problem everyone said was impossible to solve?"'

Speaking at a conference on climate change, Gore renewed a proposal for world leaders to hold crisis meetings every three months to work quickly to find solutions to slow global warming....

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2352047720071023?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&rpc=22&sp=true

[gateley]

1. K&R! nt

[Emillereid]

2. 2008 will be a more pivotal year if Gore decides to run.

[pennylane100]

18. That's exactly what I was thinking.

If he really wants to help fight global warming, he will be re-elected president.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. He's responsible for a fair part of this

For his work he's been attacked at every turn by those who stand to lose profits. I commend him for continuing to fight the good fight.

[codjh9]

13. Y'damn right! (From another LoneStarDem :^).

[Lisa]

4. 10 year anniversary of Kyoto ...

I'm sure that'll be on the minds of the Bali delegates. Gore was one of the few high-level policymakers to show up (and in fact, Clinton tried to talk him out of it, worried that it might affect the outcome of the 1998 mid-terms).

[roguevalley]

5. mentally and emotionally, it is pivotal. in terms of practicality

however, we are all too late. RUN, AL, RUN!

[Uncle Joe]

6. Thank you for the thread, DeepModem Mom

Kicked and recommended.:thumbsup:

[Pastiche423]

7. Recommended!

[defendandprotect]

8. Glaciers melting rapidly points to nationalizing our oil and ELECTRIC CARS -- !!!

not simply advancing Kyoto by two years !!!

Do we have to say, "Wake up, Al Gore" . .. ????

Why wouldn't he be making these recommendations --- ??? Why????

[SallyMander]

9. Sorry, i'm having trouble getting past

"Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore"

:7 :7 :7

[lonestarnot]

10. Al you have more confidence than I do.

[closeupready]

11. Sadly, people are docile, and will continue with the status quo, which benefits

industries, not the environment (not that their interests are always mutually exclusive). A leader, like Al, to inspire them and get them thinking could help change that. I'm glad he's leading in the manner he's chosen. (Sad that he's not running, but i'll leave that for another time.)

[Kurovski]

12. K&R. (nt)

[Javaman]

14. I'm waiting patiently for this thread to turn into an Al for prez thread...

:popcorn:

[Samantha]

16. Okay, I will accommodate

When Al Gore says "world leaders" does he include himself? I personally think he is a leader for all people everywhere. But when it comes to raw power to implement change to effect changing our environment, "world leaders" includes, here it comes, George W. Bush, Jr. So realistically speaking, what contribution will the leader of the free world, George W. Bush, Jr., make? To date, he and his party have dispatched only negative naysayers to contradict the inconvenient truth Al Gore has being desperately trying to convey.

Without his, and I do mean Gore's, leadership in a seat of power in the Oval Office, I have little confidence we as Americans will see a huge turnaround in this Country's efforts to combat this disastrous problem. I am sure there are those who will give a lot of lip service to the effort, but when it comes to taking on corporate America, the first rule of politics comes to mind: don't listen to what I say, watch what I do. And that's what many of our Corporate Candidates now running will do. Al Gore, however, will not put a political spin on this problem; he will put all of the available resources of the U.S. Government behind the effort to spearhead the campaign. And, I believe, he more so than any other candidate now running, can influence the government and businesses in China, predicted soon to be the #2 chief offender in this area, to change its evil environmental ways.

Therefore, for the reasons I have itemized above, I can only say Al Gore must realize that the best way to lead the world into the direction he sees it must go if we want to be positioned to combat this problem, must run.

I do not see any alternative. Run, Al, run.

[Javaman]

23. Thanks!

:popcorn:

[MasonJar]

15. The Man of the Century!

[Bigmack]

17. Actually, Mr. Gore...

2000 was a pivotal year in the fight against climate change..... and lots of other critical issues. Heading into the 21st century, this country ended up with a 19th century president. I think we're too late.

[earth mom]

19. OK Al, the clock is ticking and the world can NOT wait! nt

[Hawkowl]

20. Run Dammit Al!

[progressoid]

21. Sadly, I think it's going to be the former question, "What were they doing?"

2007 is almost over. It's going to be the year of lots of talk and no action.

Can somebody show me where we are making any progress fighting global climate change? Other than a lot of media attention, there is not much happening.

[CoffeeCat]

22. The only way Gore has power...

...is by being President.

I know he's a great speaker. He's enlightened many people on global warming
and he's brought attention to this critical topic.

However, everything and anything that he wants to do--will be thwarted and
roadblocked--if the Republicans have their way.

He wants leaders to meet under the auspices of the UN to discuss climate change.
First off, our leaders would be absent from those meetings. Secondly, the UN will
be dismantled before long. Bush doesn't like it and he strongly criticizes it.
Talk radio has demonized it and positioned US involvement in the UN---as harmful
to our country. There will be no UN--or at least serious US participation in the UN--very soon.

A Republican administration will not pass ANY legislation that takes a nickle away
from corporations. That means the automobile industry, energy, oil & gas and
big business will get their way---which means less regulation and more pollution.

Al Gore could traverse the world and convince everyone that global warming should
be a priority. It doesn't matter. You have to be in that power position to affect
change. Bush, Cheney and the rest of the thugs do not care what we think about
anything.

Al Gore needs to run for President.