Tuesday, 22 July 2008 00:00 | and posted in Environment
"It's hard to celebrate recognition of an effort that has thus far failed." Al Gore said this in an interview with Time magazine days before accepting the Nobel Peace Prize last December for his (and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's) work to raise awareness of man-made climate change and to promote measures needed to counteract it.
Gore also said last December that "we have to abandon the conceit that isolated personal actions are going to solve this crisis. Our policies have to shift." The key word in this statement is isolated; many people across the globe are altering their lifestyles in order to reduce their negative impact upon the environment, however, too few are committed to practically doing this and most are isolated accounts. Gore sees that without revolutionary policy changes, personal action is not going to be enough to solve the crisis by itself.
Last Thursday, in his latest speech, Gore said, "today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years." This is a bold proposal for policy change. Many will find it unrealistic or alarmist, while others will see it as essential.
To the sceptics Gore said, "To those who say 10 years is not enough time, I respectfully ask them to consider what the world's scientists are telling us about the risks we face if we don't act in 10 years."
"Our families cannot stand 10 more years of gas price increases. Our workers cannot stand 10 more years of job losses and outsourcing of factories. Our economy cannot stand 10 more years of sending $2 billion every 24 hours to foreign countries for oil. And our soldiers and their families cannot take another 10 years of repeated troop deployments to dangerous regions that just happen to have large oil supplies."
You can watch the highlights of his speech immediately below (length 5 minutes) or read some more text extracts from his speech below the video. What do you think?
QUOTES:
"Our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels is at the core of all three of these challenges -- the economic, environmental and national security crises... The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels."
"A few years ago, it would not have been possible to issue such a challenge. But here's what's changed: the sharp cost reductions now beginning to take place in solar, wind, and geothermal power -- coupled with the recent dramatic price increases for oil and coal -- have radically changed the economics of energy."
"What if we could use fuels that are not expensive, don't cause pollution and are abundantly available right here at home? We have such fuels. Scientists have confirmed that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world's energyneeds for a full year... And enough wind power blows through the Midwest corridor every day to also meet 100 percent of U.S. electricity demand... The quickest, cheapest and best way to start using all this renewable energy is in the production of electricity. In fact, we can start right now using solar power, wind power and geothermal power to make electricity for our homes and businesses."
"To those who say the costs are still too high: I ask them to consider whether the costs of oil and coal will ever stop increasing if we keep relying on quickly depleting energy sources to feed a rapidly growing demand all around the world. When demand for oil and coal increases, their price goes up. When demand for solar cells increases, the price often comes down."
"America's transition to renewable energy sources must also include adequate provisions to assist those Americans who would unfairly face hardship. For example, we must recognize those who have toiled in dangerous conditions to bring us our present energy supply. We should guarantee good jobs in the fresh air and sunshine for any coal miner displaced by impacts on the coal industry. Every single one of them."
"Of course, we could and should speed up this transition by insisting that the price of carbon-based energy include the costs of the environmental damage it causes. I have long supported a sharp reduction in payroll taxes with the difference made up in CO2 taxes. We should tax what we burn, not what we earn."
"In order to foster international cooperation, it is also essential that the United States rejoin the global community and lead efforts to secure an international treaty at Copenhagen in December of next year that includes a cap on CO2 emissions and a global partnership that recognizes the necessity of addressing the threats of extreme poverty and disease as part of the world's agenda for solving the climate crisis."
You can read the full speech here.