Al Gore: It's not just about the planet
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Al Gore, a self-described "wanna-be geek," is on the road talking about solutions to multiple problems.
The former vice president gave a speech at the First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist church here on Saturday to promote his latest book, "Our Choice." Whereas "An Inconvenient Truth" documented the reasons for global warming, his latest book is focused almost entirely on ways to address climate change, Gore said.
But don't expect only a discussion of solar, wind and biofuels. In outlining the contents of "Our Choice" on Saturday, Gore said he consulted hundreds of experts in different fields to develop a comprehensive approach. The book includes discussions on carbon-capturing farming practices, word population projections, social psychology, and the political challenges to cutting fossil fuel use.
Al Gore signing books after his talk at the First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist church in Cambridge, Mass.
(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET)Rather than limit his remarks to climate change, Gore argued there are political and economic reasons to make a transition to a less-polluting society. "There is a common thread running through the discussion of climate, (national) security, and the economic crisis, and that is our ridiculous dependence on foreign oil and coal," he said.
The hundreds of billions of dollars a year the U.S. spends on importing foreign oil is one reason the military remains involved in the Middle East. It also undermines the country's finances, he said.
The economy, too, can be revived by developing emerging industries in the U.S. Among them are products and services to retrofit buildings to be more efficient; solar, wind, and enhanced geothermal power; a "super grid" that's able to transport solar and wind power efficiently; and plug-in electric cars.
"When put together, we have the tools and technologies to solve three or four climate crises," he said. "But the missing element is political will."
He predicted that the U.S. Senate will get a climate and energy bill through committee before the Copenhagen round of international climate negotiations next month. Despite the "odds and the pessimism," he said there is a chance for a binding political agreement from Copenhagen next month and a roadmap for a comprehensive treaty.
Gore said that an Internet-aided grass-roots movement is the way to influence political change on this issue.
Martin LaMonica is a senior writer for CNET's Green Tech blog. He started at CNET News in 2002, covering IT and Web development. Before that, he was executive editor at IT publication InfoWorld. E-mail Martin. 
...'course not - it's about making him even more wealthy.
"Our Choice" is rather Orwellian considering everything he pushes is about government making your decisions for you.
He's just pushing for a green caste system, where the Anointed Ones rule the Peons and free innovation is replaced by corrupt political pull.
When they invented electricity and the light bulb they said they would make it so cheap that only rich people would afford to burn candles. It was true, and I expected the same of green energy and green technology.
Instead Global Warming and Peak Oil have become scams to raise the price of fossil fuels and cause energy companies profits and stocks to skyrocket. Ask Al Gore how many energy company and oil stocks he owns, and ask him if his family owns a zinc mining operation that harms the Earth and causes more pollution than other companies. Carbon credits and cap and trade are yet more scams to milk more money out of the consumer.
When something is friendly to the environment, it seems to harm the economy. Too bad something cannot be friendly to the environment and the economy but such a thing doesn't exist until they lower the price of green tech and green energy so that even poor people can afford it and thus everyone can make use of them.
"Have you ever noticed that green energy and green tech are always more expensive than normal energy and normal tech?"
Depends. Hydro was among the very first forms of commercial electricity generation; it costs a lot up-front, but usually pays itself off multiple times over. Solar panels are coming down in price thanks to economies of scale, and nowadays can reach their break-even ROI in 6-10 years (out of a typical 25-30 year warranty), not counting tax breaks. Wind generators are similarly becoming cost-effective.
"Common sense says it should be cheaper to promote use of green tech and green energy so that even poor people may be able to afford it."
Most of Southern California (rich, poor, all points in-between) has been reaping green energy benefits off of Hoover Dam since 1936. ;)
"Instead Global Warming and Peak Oil have become scams to raise the price of fossil fuels and cause energy companies profits and stocks to skyrocket."
Again, I hate to disagree with you on a point, but you forgot about OPEC. There was no green energy movement to speak of in 1974, when OPEC decided to flex their muscles and hold the western world hostage. In fact, I'd say the opposite - that the green energy movement has forced OPEC to keep prices low at all costs, lest OPEC become slowly but surely irrelevant.
Not all green energy (or green anything, really) is bad.
The whole Carbon Cap scam? Yeah, that's bad. Kyoto? Another scam. Peak Oil? Technology itself is proving it to become a bad premise. Global Warming? Depends - blaming humans for it is (IMHO) like saying "OAMG the ocean is turning yellow because humans pee in it!"
That said, I doubt that there's any endeavor out there that you won't find scam artists out there trying to make some unearned money off of...
Critical thinking is good, but if your main sources of information are mainstream media you probably don't know much... Have you read any scientific journals or magazines? Probably not if you think they are all just making it up, but there is a pretty good consensus on the matter... Even if it isn't clear, and I can agree that it isn't, do you think the word and concept "prudence" might be worth considering?
Nope - but tragically, there are just enough of them who do to discredit a lot of what is trying to be said (with Mr. Albert Gore ranking quite high among the scam artists).
You also forget political power... there's a lot to be gained from being perceived as the savior of the environment.
The more valid argument against the Gore ethos is that we're concentrating one thing that's not really a very major greenhouse gas. If CO2 is a cause of global warming, it is not the only one and it is not the one that contributed the most.
There are other, larger social and political reasons for not having a dependency on oil or coil. These are the arguments that we should be concentrating on, not wasting money throwing glamor and glitz at something that isn't true.
Wonder how you feel about the book that Palin had written for her?
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Oh, about the same as with clintons ghost written book.
Gore is super serial.
The idea of 'man made' global warming is a hoax to make people rich, to redistribute wealth, and give the government another reason to take your money. Plain and simple.
I think it would just be more direct if the government ran IQ taxes and took all the money of the stupid people directly, no?
Then there is something that is never discussed - every nuclear plant built has had major cost over-runs - sometimes to the point of doubling the plants cost. All of that money could be used to produce and install a lot of re-newable energy directly on the end-user's building. This would help in reducing energy waste/lost in transportation.
Some of these are also kept in the dark by paid provocateurs; how many of the people in this thread, for example, just registered ? the tone, the arguments, all sound like they are coming from a single source rather than from a diversity of opinions.
He tells the world to invest in renewable energy, and invests his own money in "green" companies that profit from what he is telling people to do (and telling the government to compel people to do). He sells millions of books and movies and makes millions in speaking fees.
Now this washed-up politician who makes his living telling people to cut back and take care of the planet is a multi-multi-millionaire, Academy Award, Emmy Award and Nobel Peace Prize winner that flys around in private jets, lights the trees outside his palatial house that uses 20x the energy of the average house, and has his chauffeur keep the car idling with the AC on while he's inside giving a speech about how people can cut their carbon footprint.
He's the rough equivalent of a Televangelist who gets BJs under the desk from his boyfriend/dealer while he's on TV.
But if anyone speaks out against him environmentalists call them tools of "big oil" that are only in it for the money. Heh.
Here's some science...you're being played.
Who gives a crap about Al Gore. We can site examples all day about the hypocrisy of politicians on both sides but what it comes down to is which message makes more sense. Here's your choice:
1) Continue to pollute the environment and entrench our dependence on foreign oil
or
2) Pursue clean sources of renewable energy
Why would somebody choose #1? Laziness? Monetary interest (you work for an oil company)? You've been told to by a talking head that is shilling for certain corporate interests and you can't think for yourself?
How about we all just use some common sense and invest in our future. Stop using Al Gore as an excuse to do nothing.
- by Tallredeye November 8, 2009 2:00 PM PST
- Why is Gore afraid of debating? He unilaterally declares the debate over and wants to ruin our economy without any science to back it up. All they have is computer models. And assertions about man-made disasters such as Katrina that they can't back up scientifically.
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- by Rants&Raves November 8, 2009 2:36 PM PST
- There is plenty of science; you have simply chosen to ignore it in favour of your personal blind dogma.
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- by Tallredeye November 8, 2009 5:57 PM PST
- Fake hokey sticks don't count.
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- by evilive7 November 9, 2009 8:07 AM PST
- THERE IS MORE SCIENCE TO BACK UP ALL THE THEORIES HE TALKS ABOUT THAN BRAIN CELLS IN YOUR HEAD. WHERE DO YOU THINK POLLUTION COMES FROM? YOU THINK POLLUTION IS NATURAL? YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU NEED SCIENCE TO EXPLAIN THE SMON IN THE AIR- YOU CAN F******* SEE IT, DON'T ACT LIKE IT'S NOT THERE!! YOU ARE EITHER RETARDED OR DELLUISIONAL.
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Showing 1 of 3 pages (90 Comments)He is either dishonest or delusional, pick one.
So why won't Gore debate?