I think, Gore is the man. He raising awareness of the true challenges facing our over-populated planet. And it requires co-operation and raising awareness everywhere. He is the closest thing to a bridge through the mess that we find ourselves in. I support him. He represents the best of what I think an Amercian leader should be. He'd be preaching to the converted with me though.

Probably the Earth will not become like Venus anytime soon, but a world-wide temperature increase of, say 10 degrees, can make parts of the southern United States inhospitable during heat waves in the summer months. A good number of people living in Texas, for example, can die of heat exhaustion if temperatures reach 115 F or more. Just recall the thousands of deaths in France in the summer of 2003.

PJB, why should we expect justice from nature? Justice is man-made. I don't think Mr. glide625 is talking about a "solution" in regards to man, but rather how the planet will naturally react to our actions. If we go extinct or nearly so, justice is no part of it. Retribution would be closer, but it's not even that. The planet's only doing what planets do, little denizens be damned.

Yes, bullshit... Our emissions just go up to heaven where God breathes them in and breathes out sunshine. Is your science sound, or is it just your personal belief that our footprint disturbs nothing in the ecosystem?

People who claim that the earth has forever warmed up and cooled down factor in nothing like numbers. Duh - there have never been this many people producing this much waste on this planet.

Common sense dictates that the world should wise up; self-indulgents say 'bovine excrement.' Clever.

No politician wanting to be re-elected four years later is going to say anything near what needs to be said. Gore is free, regular people (who have any clue to the seriousness of the problem) are free, but politicos are locked in the straightjackets of their irrational voting base. As with all other things, the politicians will only be safe to follow after the people have been moving forward for some time. Unfortunately, time's in short supply and we've all got to be to work at 8AM. Will anything short of a new Black Death stop man from turning the Earth into Venus? I'm so sceptical I don't even want to think about it.

It's a self fixing problem; temperatures rise, people die, fewer emissions, temperatures moderate.

Not that he is a bad guy but doesn't he look like he likes the lime lite? Too bad his kid just got popped for dope again. I wonder if we will make it ten more years. Its not enough time to stop the war and clean up it seems. Someone in his group should print up a leaflet to sell at the grocery, for a buck or two, to give those who, won't go out of their way, a way to get on board with climate change. I'd buy five to pass out if it was a ten minute reader. Something like a commercial for the illiterate repug.

and people dying in Texas would be a bad thing?

Re: mfskinner's comment. As I observe daily events, I notice a great increase in the number of people becoming directly involved with climate change, poverty, war, unfair working conditions and wages, unjust laws and just about anything that will promote social justice. Admittedly, the world is becoming an inhospitable place for numerous reasons. I am optimistic, however. As people of conscience become more active, the fascists will follow the same path as the dinosaur. Call it a gut feeling, but those fascists are getting very nervous right now. There will be a massive cry for joy world-wide when the greedy ones are banished to their rightful place of total irrelevence.

The methane of bovine excrement is also an issue.

glide625: "It's a self fixing problem; temperatures rise, people die, fewer emissions, temperatures moderate."

Excellent, concise point.

It's a self fixing problem; temperatures rise, people die, fewer emissions, temperatures moderate.

Yes, but the people dying aren't the ones producing the emissions, so besides the probelm with the justice of such a soluton, it won't work very well either - especially when the feedbacks all kick in.

Peter Sirois: "As people of conscience become more active, the fascists will follow the same path as the dinosaur. Call it a gut feeling, but those fascists are getting very nervous right now. There will be a massive cry for joy world-wide when the greedy ones are banished to their rightful place of total irrelevence."

You're dreaming, man. Happy endings, bad guys getting theirs ...only the stuff of poorly written fairy tales.

Like has been said many a times before on this website. The human experiment is coming to an end and it has failed. I do still have hopes that humanity as a whole will change it's way but it's a fool's hope.

Besides, who's to say that it isn't justice that humans die out? Was it retribution that dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago? I think it is just nature's cycle. And who knows, maybe planet of the apes was not sci-fi after all...

Gloomy thoughts, I know, but thinking about these problems does not put me in a cheerful mood.

Step 1. Impeach the Oilagarky! Cindy sheehan in DC at John Conyers office on July 23; join her or raise hell on the busy traffic corner nearest your home. Can you find a piece of cardboard and a marker and write HONK FOR IMPEACHMENT? please. Thankyou.

Having studied these problems for more than 30 years its refreshing that someone with a voice is taking notice. A new president will not help, new technology will not help. The only thing that may save us (if we're lucky) is a radical cultrual revolution that will make Mao seem timid. The next generation will do it whether we like it or not.

What is wrong with some of you bloggers? Of all the articles I have read here at Common Dreams and almost all of the comments, this is absolutely the worst bunch of comments I have read, and so far there are are less than twelve who have commented. This is a very serious article. The facts speak for themselves.

Is it because Gore is the speaker of a most serious problem? I am really amazed; we listened with rapt attention to Racheal Carson and the problem then was very serious, but not near as serious as global warming is. BTW jstevens was likely being sarcastic, he contstantly has written about the serious problem of burning coal, which is likely the single most serious problem.

Another blithely writes, (it's normal, it gets hot, people die and then the temperature stabelizes.)___ Uh-huh, well pal, a lot of people are going to die off here pretty soon now__ and not just people, every living thing on this lttle world is going to die if we don't change our ways___ and change them soon.

Of course we won't change, humanity has a penchant of reacting to disasters AFTER they happen, we usually don't think ahead and fix serious problems so they don't happen. Bovine shit? Sure it puts out heat as do their bodies. Have you ever wondered how much heat the billions of large animals that once thundered across the plains of Africa put out? Those bilions are now practically extinct. There were billions of them, and not too long ago, in the early 1900s they were still there, minding their own business. If you can find some of the films of Osa and Asa Johnson, it would amaze you to see how many gigantic herds of bovine, elephant, antelope,etc there were.

Meanwhile, Here in the United States in th early 1800s, Herds of bison would stream across a given point for three solid days, 24-7. Multi-millions of bison roamed the western plains. The bovine on this planet are in the millions but their numbers are not even a close comparison to the vast numbers of wildlife here only two hundred years ago, and there were plenty of bovine here on Earth then also and we didn't have this global warming problem.

A problem? The facts of the dramatic rise in carbon emissions and acids in the atmosphere are unarguable, the evidence and facts speak for themselves. In addition, we are polluting our atmosphere with microscopic specks of deadly atomic waste, deadly uranium isotopes that now float in the air from burning coal and using depleted uranium in weaponry, are slowly but "surely" killing off life on Earth. The combination of global warming and atomic waste will indeed eleminate ALL life on this once beautiful, blue and white water planet. And ten years is perhaps an optimestic
opinion. It will be much much sooner if we manage to eleminate even half of the pytoplankton in our oceans. The clues there is a most serious problem are clearly obvious.

Do you have children and or grandchildren; do you love them, do you care? Well, if you do, guess some of you should go shoot some cows, or bury some animal shit. The rest of us, if we really do care, should be screaming along with Mother Nature and Al Gore___ screaming,___ "HALT"!

'Gore thinks so, but it's not in the current parade of presidential candidates or the slew of climate-related bills moving through the U.S. legislature — measures Gore called "baby steps."'

Under Clinton we had leadership that lost the farm. Under Bush, a force of unrestrained greed and criminal looting. Is it too much to ask that an American president be a force for good in the world?

Methane mostly comes from a cow's belch.

As for getting hotter in the south, when they overload the grid and the air conditioning goes out that's when people in poor health check out and the rest suffer.

Right. So he's flying around the globe (and indeed the US) telling us not to fly around the globe. Why doesn't he just video conference???

And why does he or any one never mention space flights and the piles of story high garbage we have up there. Sorry, not convinced, another bandwaggon suit that doesn't put his considerable money where his mouth is - just makes more of it.

Human Species in a Race for its Life.

Bush Subspecies in a Race to Have the Benchmarks Passed so as to Get the Oil.

Who will win the race?

What's wrong with killing planet earth? we kill each other an nobody cares,when EVIl rules watch football or Paris Hilton.

jassim-- Like all the fuss about Gore's energy usage or haircuts or weight or other trivial stuff we use to cut people down who are trying to do good by their fellow citizens.
Gore does his bit, which is more than I can say for most. Why drag down his sincere efforts because he isn't living in a cave?
The one thing that works on the CommonDreams forums is there is a united front against Right-wing trolls spewing their ugly insults and spamming the threads like they have on other boards.
You know, don't help them.

Kill some cows, kill some cows, kill some cows!!! Eat them,___ but don't shit.

Al Gore really needs to run for President. (Please, Mr. Gore) As President you could accomplish so much more. I know all too well the corruption that exists in politics. However, I think part of the problem with our past presidents has been that by the time they reach the highest office, they no longer stand for anything.

Mr. Gore will always stand for the environment. With him as President we would see that everything possible is being done to avert the crisis. No one else can pull it off. No other candidate has his intellectual capacity, his scientific mind, his vision. Among the candidates, only Mr. Gore can claim climate crisis as their major issue. Only Mr. Gore can bring the world together on this issue.

He has been right all along; way before it became obvious to most people that the climbing levels of CO-2 in the atomosphere were problematic.

Evelyn Smith, I'm almost 30 years old and have been worried about global warming as long as I can remember. I recall talking about it in the mid-80s in elementary school! It has always been in the background, something to stress us out, but never as important as getting in our cars and being to work on time. I've beat my head against this wall so much I think I've got brain damage. Children, sweet little babies, are on this sinking ship with us adults. They'll worry about it their whole lives too, but being to work on time will come first. Forgive the cynicism, but there seems to be little reason to feel differently.

Then again, hope dies last, or none of us would be reading this or posting here.

I'm truly sorry to agree with you Stilba, perhaps you and many others should drive to a clinic and see about having a brain scan, you may indeed have damaged your brain.

Also, "Hope" is just another pleasant four letter word, without action, hope is just that, a four letter word.

Glad someone mentioned methane. It mostly comes from bovine belches he stated. Either end I suppose.

Well, maybe it does now, but safely locked up in the Arctic's permafrost, are billions of tons of methane gas. When that permafrost melts, and it is melting a lot faster than predicted we recently learned, when it melts and the methane is released, it will be all over. ___ "Oops,__did we do that? I hate it when that happens,__Darn it." ___ Yeah, when those billions of tons of methane rise up into the atmmosphere, Earth WILL become a twin sister of Venus.

"Without a vision, the people perish." Proverbs

Upon reading the comments in this column I feel we do not have to wait around for global warming to perish. We are ALREADY destroying ourselves with endless bickering, depression, hopelessness, helplessness and other feelings of despair and rage.

We each need to focus on the action(s) we can personally take to address the issue. Mr. Gore has a list of suggestions that are do-able for each of us. It involves taking action rather than whining and bickering.

Next, we need to do some extreme work to rid ourselves of the PLAGUE IN THE WHITE HOUSE and repudiate Bushco and the actions of the US government over the past years.

Then, as citizens of the planet, we would be most fortunate if Mr. Gore would consent to be our leader.

If Al gets in to the presidential race, I hope he does so as an Independent. It is time to debunk the duopoly for what it is: a single political entity destroying the earth for the sake of their corporate paymasters.

The time in NOW and the opportunity clear. More people identify themselves as Independents than belonging to either corporate party.

If he gets in I will work to get him elected. Besides Nader, Gore is the only politico in Ameri(k)a that GETS IT!

No other presidential candidate, so far, has expressed enough determination to address climate change to the extent that Al Gore is convinced will be necessary. In these circumstances, I don't see how Mr Gore can NOT run - it doesn't make sense. Would he be able to convince a Clinton or Obama or Edwards to do the necessary? - I doubt it. HE HAS TO RUN! Or..........

To those that are convinced that the situation is not dire but have not looked into it personally: contemplate what happens if you are wrong.

This is a classic case of risk-reward tradeoff. The downside risk is tremendous. The upside gain of ignoring the problem could be zero.

An uninformed dismissive approach is wildly irrational.

Start learning survival skills, store water or find your own well. This isn't going to be fixed or stopped, it's going to happen faster than any predictions because scientists have been forced to soften up their findings which have already been proven to underestimate warming and the damage it causes.

People still hoping to "do something right away to avert catastrophe" are totally dreaming. The damage has already been done, and more emissions than ever before are going up into the skies everyday at this moment.

And the people who "argue" against the reality of global warming? They are beyond idiotic, beyond ignorant. Have they been studying the planet, or climate, all their lives? What do they know about the subject? That is pure arrogance and nothing else. But it doesn't really matter, like I said learn survival skills, there isn't going to be a working society, food at the grocery store, or water coming out of your tap in a lot of places. And soon. 10 yrs or less.

to dan gips - you've got it - first things first. All who can should join the July 23 protest however they can. Or should I call it a DEMAND?

"Gore advised the audience to compare the blue orb of the Earth to Venus, where daytime temperatures reach 867 degrees Fahrenheit and it rains sulphuric acid. The two planets have the same amount of carbon, Gore explained, but Venus' just happens to be in the atmosphere, while most of the Earth's is still locked underground. "The habitability of this planet for human beings really is at risk," he said."

And how, exactly, is carbon underground - part of the Earth's crust - going to be magically released into our atmosphere? Bad bad bad bad bad bad science. As Snoopy would say, "Bleah."

Melting permafrost releases carbon trapped in soil into the atmosphere.

jassim, What a tired argument about Gore jetting around the world. If, on each stop, he convinces a thousand or more people to conserve or become involved, he's paid it back many times over. It's analogous to making a profit in business. Would you not invest in a business because you would have to borrow the money, even though there would be the possibility of making much more in the future?

And Rick Sparks, most of the earth's crust is made up of silicon and oxygen. What carbon there is in there is primarily oil, coal and gas which can be "magically released" through extraction. Unbelievable you didn't get this - YOU are the bad bad bad bad scientist.

I appreciate everyone's comment, and want to share my own experience. In spite of his imperfections (which I believe all humans possess), I am thankful that Mr. Gore has the courage and willingness to give his life to the work of sharing this message about the urgency of this historical moment.

I am saddened to see so many posts, not only relating to this article, but to others, focusing on criticism and cynicism.

The site's title, COmmonDreams, implies a conversation about the kind of future we collectively most desire to create. I would enjoy more comments that speak to what we individually can do, in our own lives, activism, communities, vocations to help create a world that works for everyone.

In spite of the current political insanity, widespread cynicism, fear-based fundamentalisms (religious and political), there are millions upon millions working all across the globe in support of a peaceful, just, sustainable world. The power of this vision -- focusing on it, articulating it, living it, being it -- inspires a quality of conversation and empowered, constructive action that cynicism, bitterness, and criticism simply cannot.

I am thankful for every reader of this site -- and everyone throughout the US and the world -- who is giving their best to this struggle for a better society -- adn to create a world worthy of our children and grandchildren.

The question I ask myself daily, and that I offer to readers of this blog, is - What actions can I take today that serve my highest, most compelling vision of a world that works for all?

With my attention focused on my responsibility to act in harmony with my highest values -- on what I am doing and can do, I have no time for or inclination to put others down who are doing the best they know how to make a difference.

It never ceases to amaze me, how some people will exhibit their utter stupidity for all to witness.

Mister Sparks: or may I call you Sparky?

The carbon in the Earth's crust is being burned in many places, mostly in coal fired power plants, and that Sparky is a most serious problem. If we continue to burn fossil fuel, we WILL kill our atmosphere. Is that so difficult for you, or for anyone with a IQ over thirty five, to understand?

In addition, if you wish to be un_bleah_ed, scroll up to the comments at 2.44pm, those are not my opinions, those are scientific facts. And if we are gong to quote cartoon characters, Pogo said, "We have met the enemy___and it is us".

If I were the landlord of this gift, our only home, a once beautiful, blue and white water planet. Which indeed is a rare gift of the universe. If I were the landlord,__ I would evict the tenants.

You know, the landlord may just do that.

Not carbon Vern, methane gas, it's much worse than carbon,

If Gore really cared, then why did he push NAFTA, praise the DEA for bombing a HEMP farm in South Dakota, go silent when the Senate voted Kyoto down, allow Big Auto to "voluntarily" cut down emissions, etc ... ? I'm sorry but Gore should have thought about all that during his 24 YEAR TENURE in Washington !

Possibilitydweller, I sure do appreciate your comments and thoughts. We can all do our little part, but the big picture is not in our hands. Our eventual fate rests in the hands of the elected. I do not appreciate the ignorant comments of some of the attendees.

Whenever the subject of climate change comes up, I'm amazed at the number of irate people who know that they're better informed than are the world's most prominent scientists.

Specifically, I'm amazed at the number of these folks who are also convinced the world was created in 4004 BC.

If that's not a sign of scientific acumen, I don't know what is!

A realist point of View:

In the past 100 years humans have developed the capacity for self annihilation and planet sterilization through nuclear war. This can effectively be done in a few weeks or less.

In the past 100 years humans have released billions of pounds of carbon into the atmosphere through our oil consumption. This oil originally took hundreds of millions of years to accumulate in the ground. Our 5 million year old species has effectively "Spiked our Ecosystem" with that carbon in less than a century.

The human species is also nearing the carrying capacity of our overall plant.

Most individuals in the human species still think they are part of a religion, race, country, economic bracket, sex, or any other group or individual identity before they are human.

Most humans think they are civilized, gods chosen, or were given this planet as a gift and as such are not subject to natures laws.

Even rapid coordinated global action would take centuries to produce significant results.

Most humans don't plan beyond there own retirement.

A Realists conclusion: Our children are doomed

A Progressives conclusion: We got a lot of work to do.

What are your conclusions?

Gore woke up Maxpayne. Is anyone suggesting that because Gore was once on the other side of the fence, that his message now is wrong?

A great way to explain Global warming to those who reject the reality:

Bring them to your closed garage. Sit them in your car and start the engine. If he protests that he doesn't want to die of Carbonmonoxcide poisoning tell him that the sleepy feeling he has is just a natural part of his body's cycle.

I suggest at that point you get out of the car and the garage and leave your friend to slowly fade into a very self righteous death. After all that is what we are giving the next 10 generations.

I'm going to agree with and defend maxpayne before the deluge of attacts from Gore admirers. Maxpayne is right about Gore the Democratic Party politician. I admire everything he's doing now as a committed environmentalist but as a one-time Democratic vice president and before that a senator, he could have been more progressive in his actions if he truly believed in those issues. Instead, he like so many other Democrats, towed the line and either actively supported those issues maxpayne points out or looked the other way.

Get the stardust out of your eyes folks. Al Gore is to be commended for his current work but think twice before jumping on the Gore for Prez bandwagon.

IMO, he would have to do a lot of "coming clean" before I'd think of supporting his candidacy. Stick with proven progressives!

Cynicism, hopelessness and despair are all forms of self-indulgence that are just as deadly as the equally common gluttony and avarice. Understand that those who offer it as a response, when they acknowledge the problem as critical, are telling us that, "It's somebody elses problem, they have no intention of altering their behavior until "x" happens."

Al Gore is neither the problem, nor is he the solution. He is merely one of many trying to open a dialogue by which we might derive some solutions. The solution to the problem will always begin and end with ME (where ME equals each of us acting individually for the greater good of the whole).

Either way, life will go on; awareness will go on, one way or another.

I wonder why it is that I cannot find, on any of the "progressive" websites, much in the way of news regarding the nuclear reactor "accidents" during the Japanese earthquake on Monday. First they said, it was only a little bit of low radioactive water that was flushed into the Sea of Japan, now it has increased to 400 barrels, oh, and by the way, 2 different type of radioactive particles that have been dumped into the air supply. But I can't find much on the last one on any local news site. Only those news agencies close in geographical proximity to the source seem to think it is relavant.

When are people going to get it through their thick as a brick heads that water, air and disease do not recognize geopolitical and/or economic boundaries. There is only one air supply for this planet and one interconnected water supply. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF POISEN!!!!!

Al Gore speaks from ignorance.
*There is NO scientifically proven linkage between CO2 concentration and temperature.
*Nature puts 35 times as much CO2 into the atmosphere as does Man. How does Nature distinguish between molecules?
*Readers here are inclined to believe the AGW story. No one ever questions the assertions of the environmental activists. The fact is that there is NO consensus among climatologists. Many believe in AGW and many others do not. No one has taken a survey of beliefs. There is no truth to the assertion that a "vast majority" of scientists believe in AGW. It is an oft-repeated invention of the warmist alarmists.
*There is evidence that we are headed into a prolonged period.
*We cannot even trust many of the temperature readings that are being used to support the notion of AGW. Many ground stations are located where they will be heated by asphalt, heat from air conditioners, etc., and their readings are just not reliable.

Check your facts before blindly accepting the outpourings of activists. They may well be working to their own agenda rather than reporting the truth. Remember: if the Kyoto Accord provisions were put into effect, the effect 50 years from now might be 1/100 of a degree. In the meantime, the economy could well be ruined.

Ian L. McQueen