Gore Nobel Win Damaging too Sustainability Movement?
Al Gore picks up a Nobel prize for providing commentary in a movie that wasn’t his idea. Why not give the Nobel to the person who created the film–activist Laurie David?
The Norwegians who awarded this prize were simply trying to make a political statement aimed at Bush, nothing more. And in doing so, they’ve created a global climate change leader who alienates 50% of the U.S. population. This isn’t Gore’s fault (yes, I’d vote for him), it’s just how it is. What we desperately need is climate change leadership who can bring into the fold 100% of the population.
Mind you, I’m not bashing Gore. But, as a leader of the global environmental movement, he’s absolutely ill-suited to reach everyone. He will never be viewed by half the U.S. population with anything less than distrust. The platforms he espouses will be ignored, brushed aside. Worse, when these same ideas are proposed by nonpartisan leaders, Gore will have polluted the waters. Not Gore’s fault, inherently, mind you. That’s just how things work when you once held the office of Vice President of the U.S.A..
This was a PERFECT time to elevate another great leader. The Nobel Committee did the planet a great disservice by missing the moment. Gore is already the global ‘green’ leader. This prize does little to make him more effective. What he needs is progressive peers to help him reach a greater audience. Not supporters, but bonafide peers. Let’s pull David, Brown, Lovins and others into the spotlight. The world needs all the help it can get.
Here’s a little Rogue Wave for you (once again): [audio:rogue.mp3]
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al gore, climate change, laurie david, lester brown, rogue wave
Tags: environment, Politics
Nothing to add Tod, except you hit the nail on the head. Well written.
Thanks, Kirk. Trouble is, once you start questioning like this, you find yourself aligned with very few.
Is this a joke? LOL, yes, you are too bashing Gore. And for no good reason but your own partisanship. Al Gore is widely respected by nearly everyone in the science community and most Americans. There are only a small amount of partisan holdouts that have something against him. What did he ever do to them? Nothing. They are the extremist partisan base. He’s perfect for this award and he deserves it. Now he can run for president and win again.
Shelly, I appreciate your thoughts on Gore. A few things:
I’m not at all partisan. I’ve no party and I’ve nothing personally against Gore. His work as a spokesperson for the Movement has earned him my respect, but I don’t take him for a leader. A leader needs to offer real solutions to our problems and to date Gore has offered not ONE plan to deliver 80-90% emissions cuts within the next two decades–the widely agreed upon targets needed to stabilize the planet’s climate. A leader would deliver such a plan. Gore parrots known facts but to date has come up with little of his own proactive efforts. This isn’t bashing him, only stating the facts.
Gore is NOT widely respected by most Americans. What bubble are you living in? Much of the U.S. is very, very highly partisan and disregard him for his connection to one of the twin parties. Remember, attendance to the film in which he played the on screen narrator was highly partisan. The large majority of attendees were Dems and non-affiliated ‘liberals’ like myself.
It would be wonderful if the U.S. citizenry was informed enough and intelligent enough to look upon someone for their positions, and not their party. However, this isn’t the case. The U.S. is not filled to overflowing with the well-educated. Thems just da facts.