Al Gore and the We Can Solve it challenge, now with a soundtrack
Everything sounds more urgent and better when it's set to music, especially For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield. No exception here for this remix of Al Gore's speech to the DAR, the one where he challenges the country to produce 100% of our energy from clean and renewable sources within 10 years.
We Can Solve It, the organization that is promoting the video, will also be running an ad in the Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal, linking gas prices, the soft economy and the climate crisis. They want to remind people that "short term solutions to our long-term energy problems aren't just ineffective, they will actually make the problem much worse. "
Which, you know: true.
I'm sure the Al Haters will be all over Al's carbon footprint in the comments, which is fine (bring it, haters, and btw, nice people are allowed to comment, too) and not really the point.
Their opinion doesn't change the fact that we're lucky to have leaders like Al Gore who are brave enough to issue a challenge of this magnitude, have enough respect for our ability to achieve this type of technological feat, and are inspiring enough to galvanize so many of us to make profound changes in our lives.
As Abraham Lincoln (another leader who had some crazy ideas about breaking our country of deeply embedded negative practices) said, "Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought." If ever there was a case of "ought," switching to clean fuel is it.
I bet we can get this done before the 10 year finish-line deadline. Go U.S.A.!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-01-2008 @ 12:38PM
the goddess anna said...
With such thin skin, I'd advise against spending too much time in the sun and using topical steroids.
I might have been a touch snarky, but I was being polite. It would have been nice to see a factual rebuttal, other than some emotional hand-wringing, but at least I know you read my comment. And maybe, just maybe, as the facts come out, you'll realize that Al Gore is not the superman you believe him to be.
Energy independence starts at home. Drill here, drill now, while at the same time continue with efforts into alternative energy (including nuclear). Keep it in the private marketplace, with tax rebates going to those companies that get proven results. With new drilling, even if it takes 5-10 years, many new jobs will be provided and the economy will be stimulated naturally. In fact, just talking about opening up offshore drilling started bringing the price of oil down (without a drop actually being pumped out of the ground).
Look, I know humans are not perfect, and I'll not touch any further upon Gore's hypocritical lifestyle, but how much do you really think carbon offsets/credits are going to do? Having some third party plant a few trees to offset your guilt about your comfortable lifestyle only redistributes wealth. People like Gore are getting rich off of your guilty conscience. Yes, it is a good thing to live more environmentally friendly, but you should be doing it because you feel it's the correct thing to do, not because some overhyped talking head tells you the world will end unless you move into a yurt and eat grass.
As to your comparison of Gore and Lincoln, please remember that Lincoln did not fight to end slavery, but to keep the country together. Among other things, he suspended habeas corpus to prevent Maryland from seceeding. Besides, Lincoln was a Republican. I'd sooner compare Gore to Jimmy Carter than to Abe Lincoln.
I look forward to your rebuttal. : )
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8-01-2008 @ 12:51PM
Swati Paul said...
Dear Cat, this post of yours is very interesting. i would like to thank you for uploading the remixed video (i have already seen the sans music version) and am glad to note that some one is addressing so aggressively to global warming.We all as a global community need to stop and introspect as to where we are heading with our reckless ways.
http://www.ecotalks.org/2008/08/01/newdifferent-and-bold-approach-al-gore%e2%80%99s-video-on-global-warming-gets-a-soundtrack/
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