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Gore Calls For Early Climate Pact
OSLO - Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore urged governments on Friday to advance by two years a new treaty to curb greenhouse gas emissions instead of waiting until the Kyoto pact expires in 2012.
Government ministers are meeting at a U.N. conference in Bali, Indonesia, to try to launch talks on a successor to the Kyoto pact to be concluded by 2009, which would allow three years for ratification before the existing pact expires.
"I hope they will move the effective date of the new treaty forward by two years so that we don't wait until 2012 to have a much tougher treaty in place," former U.S. Vice-President Gore said on arriving in Oslo where he will collect the Nobel prize on Monday.
Gore and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were jointly awarded the 2007 peace prize for their work to raise awareness and further the science of climate change.
Gore said the need for an early treaty would be part of his message to governments both when he received his prize in Norway and later at the U.N climate conference in Bali.
The 1997 Kyoto protocol, the main U.N. climate pact binding 36 nations to cut emissions, was rejected by the United States, which argued that it would be too expensive and wrongly omitted developing nations from the cuts.
"The United States should be the natural leader in this challenge, and many of us are working very hard to bring about a change in the policies of the United States of America," Gore said at Oslo airport.
He said there were signs of a change in attitude in the United States, with more than 700 cities and many states adopting Kyoto provisions, and a call last week by 150 U.S. business leaders for binding carbon emissions cuts.
"So we are making a lot of progress," Gore said before boarding the public rail link to central Oslo with other travelers.
He said taking the train would be faster and better than other forms of transport, and represented the kind of choice that people could make for the environment.
Gore was lampooned in 2006 for riding in a limousine to a showing at the Cannes film festival of his Oscar-winning film "An Inconvenient Truth," which calls for urgent action to fight climate change.
Reporting by Aasa Christine Stolz; writing by John Acher; editing by Sarah Marsh
© 2007 Reuters
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18 Comments so far
Show AllMuch as I really do hate to say it, I have to ask the same question as Ramsay.
I'm bitterly disappointed in Al Gore's attitude.
To Al Gore:
Shut-up, quit filling your trophy case, quit hanging out with CEO's, and run for president. Otherwise, you're being disengenious, big word for full of crap.
The job that would have the greatest impact on saving the planet, is yours for the taking, yet you reject it - why? Are you selfish? Are you a coward? Are you just another hypocrite, like the last paragraph indicates, what is your reason?
Your country and the world needs you, now more than ever, but you constantly turn your back - Why?
Ramsay
Gore knew it would be difficult to convince Americans to support the banishment of the greed intent, and a whole lot easier to convince Americans to support patching up the latest greed intent catastrophe. So he took the easy road, and everyone is excited. Gore is excited about his accomplishment (and future prospects). His supporters are excited about the magically quick "progress" (timing is everything). And the villains themselves (counting their magnificent booty) are excited that they may keep their greed intent for future profits and plunder.
Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of day. - T. Jefferson
I hope we shall... crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country. - T. Jefferson
What is Gore to do? As a politician he would get more of the above. He is in a position now to actually do something that makes a difference. Being a part of an IPO he can help direct investment. The kinds of change that need to be accomplished are life changing and he has the ear of some of the elites. If he is going to change minds he at least has to meet with them. Even using the internet uses energy. How can we best accomplish our goals? The metaphor to employ I feel is the movie "The Flight of the Phoenix" that starred James Stewart. People are acting. See Energybulletin.net and calcars.org for examples. We can be disappointed with Gore, but he is actively pursisng what he thinks needs to be done. Nobody is perfect but he should get some points for acting.
Curtis - Yes, Al Gore gets most of the credit for raising awareness in the USA, and abroad, about the climate change situation. But it now seems to have been almost a "tease" - because without political power, and presidential power in particular, he can accomplish little of what truly needs to be done. Mandatory limits etc. strict ones, not the itzy bitzy efforts currently discussed.
If any of the presidential candidates were putting the environment near the top of their "to do" lists, it might be different, and Gore could easily stay out of it - but they're not. He may have the idea of jumping back into politics in 2012 when the mess left by GWB and Co. has subsided a little, but by then it could be too late.
I agree with all of you. I have been an AL Gore supporter for a while now. However, we are all getting tired of waiting for an action that has not happened.
If he doesn't intend to run for President, he should be clear, very clear. Otherwise, it is past time to take action.
LBJ once said something like, "I will not run, nor will I accept the nomination of my party for President" To date Gore has never said those magic words and it kind of keeps hanging out there.
As some of the above comments intimate, Gore isn't running for US prez because he knows that getting Americans' heads out of their asses is hopeless: Amerrikka is not merely the centre of the universe; it is the universe. Gore is having a lot more luck on the global level, where at least the majority knows that there is intelligent life beyond the borders of the USA.
The Dems are compromised and won't really demand much from corporations when it comes to climate change. We can expect better-sounding gestures from a Dem president but not the kind of radical change that may be required to actually stop the warming. Gore understands this. I don't believe parading around investing money is the best Gore can do. The country needs him to run for president, and I agree he needs to say one way or another- this coyness is really annoying.
RUN FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES NOW. The Bully Pulpit as Teddy Roosevelt called it a century ago occupied by the President of the United States will generate more positive change than anything else you can do in your lifetime.
If the data is correct and it seems to be nothing will be able to control the final result of planet warming unless the population growth rate is corrected to a negative growth rate that will then allow the population to live with a decent standard of living with renewable resources
Sceloporus, our war contractors are on it.
Vice-President Gores passion is climate change. He is being effective without being the president of the United States. He would be distracted from his goals with all the other things a president has to do. Other candidates are committed to preventing global warming and can carry out the goals that Vice President Gore has set. He can continue to consult and educate the president. This leaves Gore free to pursue his goals full time. Senator Obama says that we need to act on climate change or we are going to have climate catastrophe. He can't make it any clearer than that. Unless one is well read, the significance of that statement is not fully understood. For example, here is a scientific study that most people are unaware of. http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/siberianthaw/111.asp
500 giga tons of methane are about to be released into the atmosphere. 500 giga tons is the estimated amount of pollution that has been released into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution began.
File this thread under "Damned if you do and Damned if you don't."
Gore is doing what he can do, and doing it under no constraints. Ergo, he can get a hell of a lot more accomplished as Mr. Gore than he could as President Gore.
I'm under no impression that as president Gore could get much accomplished - there are just too many constraints, especially from a congress that is owned by big biz. As citizen, he has opened the world's eyes. Not a bad gig.
Gore may suck but I would take him over any republican and over Clinton or Obama too.
If Gore runs, the re-thuglicans will just steal the election. We need Hugo Chavez, NOW! He's not afraid to shut down a few media outlets, beat down opposition or crank out a few speeches!
"As some of the above comments intimate, Gore isn't running for US prez because he knows that getting Americans' heads out of their asses is hopeless: Amerrikka is not merely the centre of the universe; it is the universe. Gore is having a lot more luck on the global level, where at least the majority knows that there is intelligent life beyond the borders of the USA."
NAILED IT ZOYA!
thank you,ramsay !i ditto.i will vote for al gore when there is a cold day in hell or i am threatened into doing so by a large pitchfork or when al gore gives up all his creepy,greedy corporate ways,which is the same thing as a cold day in hell.
The most important thing we can do in our personal lives to fight global warming is to cut out the meat.
Meat Eating and Global Warming
www.ivu.org/members/globalwarming.html
Eco-Eating
www.brook.com/veg
Needless to say, this should be in addition to the other good and important things we need to do, including deBushify the U.S.