Warm Feelings About Climate - Al Gore

Bring together John Rennie of Scientific American, Jeffrey Sachs of the Earth Institute and Al Gore of, well, Al Gore and you are certain to hear passion on the subject of global warming. And that's exactly what happened last night at Columbia University, where Gore was honored by this magazine for his contributions as Policy Leader of the Year in 2006.

Economist Jeff Sachs took the opportunity to remind the assemblage of students, scientists and dignitaries (including U.N. President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of Bahrain) that the world has confronted such global crises before. 2007 marks the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol--a global effort to stop the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) for refrigeration that eventually escape into the atmosphere and eat a hole in the ozone layer. Thanks to the Montreal Protocol, that hole is healing (albeit slowly).

But the path of that issue also provides a lesson in how the world copes with large environmental problems, according to Sachs: first comes recognition, followed by industry denial, public acceptance, technology solutions and finally global diplomacy. In Sach's view we have reached the third stage of this process on climate change--public acceptance--in large part thanks to the efforts of the former Vice President. And big business is lining up to take part in the solution; "the whole idea that his is a business conspiracy, it ain't right," Sachs said. "Business is way ahead of the politicians. They want to make money but they know they're going to have to do it in a carbon-constrained world."

The global diplomacy will take time (don't expect U.S. action before 2009, in Sachs' view) and will require commitments from everyone, including developing countries like India and China. But starting in Bali this December, the global community will meet to begin drafting the successor to the Kyoto Protocol--the first baby step in an effort to combat climate change.

Sachs, of course, was simply the opening act for the rock star of the event: Mr. Gore. In friendly environs, I imagine he gets the same standing ovation every time he speaks now.

Note: he's aged a bit in the 13 years since this photo was taken.

He reiterated some of his "An Inconvenient Truth" spiel on the climate crisis, noting that humanity's relationship to Earth has profoundly changed in the last 100 years. Global population has quadrupled, human technology impacts every aspect of the Earth's ecosystems, and our outlook has shrunk from planning for decades to planning for moments (or just the next quarterly report of a business).

But he also took up Sachs analogy and extended it, noting the London Amendments to the Montreal Protocol that followed three years later and significantly tightened the restrictions on CFCs. A similar process is needed with Kyoto, Gore argued, and not by 2012, when it would expire, but by 2010. "I believe the solution requires a redefinition of this issue as a moral issue," he said, and moral issues do not wait.

A few pre-selected questions were asked (Should we adapt to climate change or try to stop it? What specific actions can people take? And what kind of sacrifices will be required?) but the answers were not very specific (even to the most specific question). And no one asked Mr. Gore if he'd be running for office to try to implement some of this moral crusade practically in the political realm.

Ultimately, the only real solution on offer was political: a global petition for a framework that all countries and all peoples can agree to, available at nextgenerationearth.org. But what about the electricity consumed (and coal burned) when everybody turns on their computer to sign up?

reposted from: SciAmerican
my highlights / emphasis / comments