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On January, 28, 2009, Nobel Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Like most of the talks he's given in the last few years, the subject was climate change, but this time it was characterized by a new urgency. Presenting what was described as the update to his now-famous Inconvenient Truth lecture, Gore implored his colleagues to take action, explaining that global warming presents an "urgent and unprecedented threat to the existence of civilization." Most, if not all, environmentalists are familiar with Gore's message, his presentation, and his passion. Still, this most recent delivery is interesting in how it supports the new proposals of the Barack Obama White House.
First, Gore suggested that a cap and trade plan must be established to limit industrial emissions in the United States. Barack Obama supported such a plan during his campaign, but since his election, some members of his party have come out in opposition of the idea based on the potential economic consequences it could have on constituent communities. Todd Sturn, the new special envoy for climate change, has also opposed cap and trade, citing the cost of implementing such a program as a concern.
Gore also explained that a cap and trade plan, as opposed to a carbon tax, would help garner international support for the cause. Many developing nations, he explained, would be willing to join a deal that offered binding climate goals.
The most significant suggestion to come from Gore's talk, however, was that Congress should pass Obama's proposed economic recovery package. The plan, Gore argued, would provide important investments in renewable energy, a national smart grid, and cleaner vehicles.
Though the response to Al Gore's testimony was mixed, the overwhelming feeling was that he made the importance of the issue, and the dangers it presents, starkly clear. That, though, is something most of us new all along.
For more environmental news, check out Focus Earth: January 31, 2009: Ambassador for Change and a Call to Action.
Read more about politics and climate change:
Focus on Focus Earth: Obama's Green Team
Focus on Focus Earth: Barack Obama's Green White House
Too Little, Too Late? McCain v. Obama on Global Warming
