Al Gore Speaks at the High School

Gore: From Washington, D.C., to MonumentSpeaking his truthWarns of global warming consequences

By Derek Gentile, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Article Launched:12/14/2006 05:14:54 AM EST
Thursday, December 14

GREAT BARRINGTON — While climate change has clearly become an environmental issue, former Vice President Al Gore asserted last night that the situation is becoming a human rights and economic issue as well.Gore spoke last night to a packed auditorium as part of the Dowmel Lecture Series hosted by Monument Mountain Regional High School. He also spoke to a large group of assembled media prior to the lecture.
The former vice president under President Clinton from 1992-2000, Gore is the author of "An Inconvenient Truth," a best-selling book about the imminent dangers of global warming and climate change. The book was the basis for an award-winning documentary movie, which is now available on DVD.
"The debate on global warming is over," he said.
Quoting ecological economist Herman Daly, Gore said "we're operating the planet as though it's a business in liquidation."
A spokeswoman for Gore initially banned all electronic media from last night's press conference. Reporters with notebooks or laptops were allowed, and eventually, radio media were allowed to record portions of Gore's responses for sound bites. The only television camera allowed was
the one used to tape Gore's interview with a student from the high school. The spokeswoman gave no reason for the ban.Speaking at the press conference, Gore explained that countries hit hardest by climate change are poorer countries, although he also cited the situation in New Orleans as an example.
After Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans last year, broken levees left huge portions of the city under water, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. The city is still recovering from that disaster.
But, noted Gore, while former residents of New Orleans have relocated throughout the country, less affluent residents of other countries have more limited options in the face of an environmental disaster.
"Think about the vulnerability of people in Bangladesh, or in coastal China," he said. "If they are pushed out, where do they go?"
Gore said he believed that one of the principal responsibilities of the United States is to be a leader in trying to curtail these potential environmental catastrophes by reducing pollution.
"Thirty percent of the pollution in the air (in the world) is put there by us," he said. "Our first obligation is to catalyze the world and be a leader in this effort."
Gore said he is very encouraged by the response to his efforts to educate the world on the global warming issue.
"But I have a big ally in this changing of opinions," he said. "It's called reality."
He joked that he was told that when California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger saw the movie, he decided to sell his Humvee.
"But I think I'm most gratified when people come up to me in private, and tell me, 'I used to be a skeptic, but not anymore,' " said Gore. "Particularly Republicans and conservatives, people I wouldn't necessarily count among the folks that usually support me."

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