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Al Gore on Environment
2000 Democratic Nominee for President; Former Vice President
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To let earth continue warming would be deeply immoral
In Antarctica, measurements of CO2 concentrations and temperatures go back 650,000 years. At no point in the last 650,000 years before the pre-industrial era did the CO2 concentration go above 300 parts per million (ppm). Where CO2 is now--350 ppm--is
way above anything measured in the prior 650,000-year record. There is not a single part of this 650,000-year record--no fact, date, or number--that is controversial in any way or in dispute by anybody. To the extent that there is a controversy at
all, it is that a few people in some of the less responsible coal, oil, and utility companies say, “So what? That’s not going to cause any problem.”
[Does temperature follow CO2 levels?] It’s a complicated relationship, but when there is more CO2 in
the atmosphere, the temperature increases because more heat from the Sun is trapped.
But if we allow this to happen, it would be deeply and unforgivably immoral. it would condemn coming generations to a catastrophically diminished future.
Source: An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, p. 67
May 26, 2006
Use market capitalism as ally of environmentalism
One of the keys to solving the climate crisis involves finding ways to use the powerful force of market capitalism as an ally. And more than anything else, that requires accurate measurements of the real consequences--positive and negative--of all the
important economic choices we make.The environmental impact of our economic choices has often been ignored because traditional business accounting has allowed these factors to be labeled “externalities” and routinely excluded from the balance sheet.
Source: An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, p.270
May 26, 2006
Humans can impact earth’s ecology; especially the atmosphere
Many people today assume mistakenly that the Earth is so big that we humans cannot possibly have any major impact on the way our planet’s ecological system operates. That may have been true at one time, but it is not the case any more.
We have grown so numerous and our technologies have become so powerful that we are now capable of having a significant influence on many parts of the Earth’s environment. The must vulnerable part of the
Earth’s ecological system is the atmosphere. It is vulnerable because it is so thin. Indeed, the Earth’s atmosphere is so think that we have the capacity to dramatically alter the concentration of some o fit basic molecular components.
In particular, we have vastly increased the amount of carbon dioxide--the most important of the so-called greenhouse gases.
Source: An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, p. 22-25
May 26, 2006
Will protect Chicago from being as polluted as Houston
Gore said, “I’m hearing a powerful, powerful message here.” He focused on Bush’s tenure as two-term governor of Texas, particularly criticizing Texas’ problems with air pollution. “Houston is now America’s dirtiest city.
As someone once said, ‘Houston, we have a problem.’ You don’t want the Chicago skyline to look like the Houston skyline.”
Source: AP Story, NY Times
Nov 2, 2000
Ban oil and gas drilling off Florida coast
Everyone in Tampa Bay knows that Florida depends on clean beaches and clean air. While my opponent refuses to take a clear stand on this, I will. So let me pledge to you again, I will ban all new oil and gas drilling off
of the coast of Florida and California.
Source: Speech in Kissimmee, Florida
Nov 1, 2000
Texas is the smoggiest state with the smoggiest city in US
Gore described his opponent as the governor of “the smoggiest state with the smoggiest city” in the country and said Bush’s “idea of environmental protection is putting big polluters in charge of our environmental laws.” Gore kept up his attack on Bush’s
tax cut plan and priorities to deal with the federal surplus, but he threw in special barbs that dealt with the Republican candidate’s alliance with the oil industry in Texas. Gore accused Bush of wanting to squander the surplus on tax breaks for
the “wealthiest of the wealthy” while planning to exploit a wilderness at the behest of oil interests. “He said he’ll allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” said Gore, describing the area as “one of our greatest environmental
treasures.”“It would take years & years of development, which would cause decades of environmental damage, to reap just a few months of increased oil supply,” he said. “I don’t believe we can build and sustain prosperity by despoiling our environment.
Source: Curtis Wilkie, Boston Globe, p. A16
Oct 31, 2000
Continue & do more cleanup of Great Lakes
Gore put special emphasis on the Great Lakes yesterday. Speaking of Lake Michigan, he said, “the lake is cleaner than it has been in years and the fish are coming back. I pledge to do more to make the lakes as great as they truly can be: to cut the
mercury from power plants that makes fish dangerous to eat, to prevent fresh-water diversion, to clean up toxic hot spots, to take on invasive species, and to work with local communities to ensure that pollution never closes our beautiful beaches again.”
Source: Curtis Wilkie, Boston Globe, p. A16
Oct 31, 2000
A clean environment and a healthy economy do not conflict
Q: What will you do to protect the environment?GORE: Holding on to the old argument that the environment and the economy are in conflict is really outdated. The governor is for letting the oil companies into the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. Houston’s just become the smoggiest city in the country and Texas is No. 1 in industrial pollution. I will fight for a clean environment in ways that strengthen our economy.
Source: Presidential Debate at Wake Forest
Oct 11, 2000
Incentives for technology; but no voluntary regulations
GORE [to Bush]: He’s right that I’m not in favor of energy taxes. I am in favor of tax cuts to encourage and give incentives for the quicker development of these new kinds of technologies and let me say again, Detroit is raring to go on that. We differ
on whether or not pollution controls ought to be voluntary. I don’t think you can get results that way. BUSH: I don’t believe in command and control out of Washington, D.C. I believe Washington ought to set standards, but we ought to be collaborative
at the local levels.
Q: Would the federal government still have some new regulations to pass?
BUSH: Sure, absolutely, so long as they’re based upon science and they’re reasonable, so long as people have input.
GORE: I’m not for command and
control techniques either. I’m for working with the groups, not just with industry but also with the citizens groups and local communities to control sprawl in ways that the local communities themselves come up with.
Source: Presidential Debate at Wake Forest University
Oct 11, 2000
Invest in clean water, air, & land in “Environmental Decade”
Gore has called for making the next 10 years the Environment Decade, which would include initiatives to: protect forests, rivers and public lands so that families have places where they can hike, climb and experience nature firsthand; ensure that
the nation’s air and water is cleaned up; encourage smarter growth and more livable communities; invest more in conservation, renewable energy and in technologies that combat pollution and global warming.
Source: Press Release, Focus on Environment
Aug 19, 2000
Trust Fund for the Environment to foster protection & growth
Gore has called for making the next ten years the Environment Decade, an initiative that includes six broad goals: - Dedicating part of the expected budget surplus to create a new National Energy Security and Environment Trust Fund;
- Protecting forests, rivers and public lands so that families have places where they can hike and climb, and experience nature first hand;
- Ensuring that the nation’s air and water are cleaned up;
- Encouraging smarter growth and more livable communities so every community can grow according to its own values, in a way that preserves its own precious character;
- Investing more in conservation,
renewable energy and in fast-growing technologies that combat pollution; and
- Taking steps - not just in this country, but everywhere in the world - to reverse the rise in global warming.
Source: Press Release, “Sierra Club Endorses Gore”
Jul 24, 2000
Ozone protection is working; keep up diligence
Even as we seek to decrease ozone levels near the surface of the earth, where they harm us, we have made great progress in restoring the ozone layer high in the upper atmosphere, where it protects us. Our worldwide ban on ozone-depleting substances
is beginning to heal the delicate stratospheric ozone layer, which acts as a shield against cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation. In the last two years, we have measured an actual decrease in these substances in the stratosphere.
If we remain diligent, we will be able to say in the future that because the world joined together to face this global problem head on, banning the chemical culprits and developing
low-cost substitutes, the ozone hole over Antarctica will close by 2050, over the next two generations.
Source: New foreword to Earth in the Balance, p. xi
Apr 23, 2000
Big Lie: good environment is bad economics
The argument made against this book is that “excessive” protection of the environment hurts the economy. The lobbyists’ definition of excessive is almost always the same: any measure that gets in the way of short-term gain for their clients. It’s never
stated this way, but it’s often little more than an appeal to tolerate profits that depend on ignoring pollution. The big lie in this debate is that a good environment is bad economics.We ought to seek, and we can find, sustainable growth that doesn’t
undermine human health or the natural ecosystems that support life. The Clinton-Gore administration has been committed to that ideal. We have our environmental critics, but I think it’s fair to say that in these years, we’ve had the strongest economy in
the world, while we’ve repeatedly strengthened environmental protections, all across the board.
The bottom line is that there is not only an environment to be saved but money to be made in reducing the buildup of greenhouse gases.
Source: New foreword to Earth in the Balance, p. xiii & xviii
Apr 23, 2000
Strengthen CAA; polluters pay for air cleanup
Last November, under pressure from utility lobbies, the majority in Congress sought to write dozens of loopholes into the Clean Air Act, weakening enforcement of the law against old and dirty power plants. Instead, we need tough standards for soot
and smog, with reasonable flexibility but a real timetable for implementation. In the Environment Decade, polluters should pay to clean up the pollution they’ve created rather than impose the burden on taxpayers.
Source: New foreword to Earth in the Balance, p. xix
Apr 23, 2000
Market-based goals for power plants’ air pollution
Marking the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, Gore outlined an approach for working with the nation’s power-generating plants to cut air pollution. Gore called for:- Setting clear, enforceable performance goals but, giving industry the flexibility
to meet them
- Using market-based approaches, like emissions trading, to help utility companies improve their efficiency
- Encouraging industry to use new, clean technology to help produce cleaner air while saving money and creating new jobs.
Source: Press Release
Apr 22, 2000
Environmental justice and economic revival go hand-in-hand
Q: Would you protect communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by pollution?
A: I was a principal sponsor of the Environmental Justice Act. We ought to have clean air and clean water and we ought to have
a president who’s willing to fight for them. And, incidentally, we can improve our economy and create millions of good new jobs if we go about building the new technologies that can help us clean up the environment.
Source: Democrat debate in Harlem, NYC
Feb 21, 2000
Work with business to solve environmental problems
[Gore seeks] public-private partnerships and emphasizes voluntary measures and flexibility whenever possible to meet crucial public health and natural resource challenges. When conflict arose over the endangered spotted owl,[Gore’s] forest plan protected
the species while putting the timber economy on a sound footing. Gore joined with the Big Three automakers to help industry efforts to triple the fuel-efficiency of today’s vehicles without increasing cost or reducing quality and safety.
Source: www.AlGore2000.com/issues/environ.html 5/15/99
May 15, 1999
If we do nothing else, save the rain forest
The most dangerous form of deforestation is the destruction of the rain forests, especially the tropical rain forests clustered around the equator. These are the most important sources of biological diversity on earth. For that reason,
most biologists believe that the rapid destruction of the tropical rain forests and the irretrievable loss of the living species dying along with them, represent the single most serious damage to nature now occurring.
Source: Earth in the Balance, page 116
Jul 2, 1993
The US should lead the global environmental movement
If the history of this century is any guide, it is safe to say that if we do not lead the world on this issue, the changes of accomplishing the massive changes necessary to save the global environment will be negligible. If the United States
does choose to lead, however, the possibility of success becomes much greater. there would almost certainly be substantial economic and geopolitical benefits for the United States.
Source: Earth in the Balance, page 176-177
Jul 2, 1993
Calculate environmental impact when measuring profit
The heavy use of pesticides may ensure that the grain we grow achieves the highest possible short-term profits, but the excessive use of pesticides poisons the groundwater reservoirs beneath the field. When we add up the costs and benefits of
growing the grain, the loss of that freshwater resource will be ignored. And largely because we have failed to measure the economic value of clean, fresh groundwater, we have contaminated more than half of all the underground reservoirs in the US.
Source: Earth in the Balance, page 184
Jul 2, 1993
Civilization and the earth are increasingly in conflict
The disharmony in our relationship to the earth, which stems in part from our addiction to a pattern of consuming ever-larger quantities of the resources of the earth, is now manifest in successive crises. The loss of 1-« acres of rain forest every
second; the acceleration of the natural extinction rate; the ozone hole; the possible destruction of the climate balance that makes our earth livable-all these suggest the increasingly violent collision between human civilization and the natural world.
Source: Earth in the Balance, page 223
Jul 2, 1993
Al Gore on Brownfields + Parks
No logging in roadless forests; protect 40M acres
| | Bush | Gore |
|---|
| Forests | Opposes ban on logging in roadless areas of national forests; supports Tropical Forest Conservation Act | Supports protection of 40 million acres of roadless
national forests from logging |
|---|
| Air Pollution | Lobbied to weaken Clean Air Act enforcement | New clean air standards approved under Clinton/Gore |
|---|
| Water Pollution | Bush’s position papers contain no
mention of clean water | Backs federal regulations on factory-farm runoff; worked to strengthen Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act |
|---|
| Brownfield Cleanup | Supports “more flexibility” in cleanup regulations; supports
liability protection for re-developers | Supports existing cleanup regulations; under Clinton/Gore, three times as many toxic waste sites cleaned up as in previous 12 years |
|---|
Source: Boston Globe, p. A28
Nov 3, 2000
Pass bipartisan legislation to revitalize contaminated sites
Al Gore today challenged Congress to pass legislation that would help cities revitalize former industrial sites that are contaminated by toxic waste. “There has been broad bipartisan support for the brownfields initiative - in Congress and
all across the country. Unfortunately, pollution has some pretty powerful allies. There is legislation before the Congress right now that would help communities create even more success stories, but Congress has a different agenda.”
Source: Press Release “Challenge to ‘Do Nothing’ Congress”
Jul 12, 2000
Transform brownfields into parks with federal investment
Gore promotes initiatives to clean up and redevelop brownfields that would cost $4.2 billion over ten years: - One is bipartisan legislation that increase redevelopment of brownfield sites. The
legislation would provide revolving loan accounts, grants and appropriate liability relief to assist communities, developers and businesses in cleaning up brownfields.
- Gore would also permanently
extend the 1997 brownfield tax incentive that will leverage an estimated $4 billion in private investment to revitalize brownfield sites.
- Third, state and local governments could issue up to
$10.7 billion over five years in bonds to help clean up brownfields, preserve and enhance open space, and create and restore parks.
Source: Press Release “Challenge to ‘Do Nothing’ Congress”
Jul 12, 2000
Livability Agenda proposes $1 billion for parks
Gore is committed to preserving open spaces, building and renovating parks, improving water quality, and enhancing economic competitiveness by redeveloping old factories known as Brownfields. He has proposed $1 billion in federal funds to promote smart
growth policies - leaving all decisions in local and community hands. Gore encourages building new schools as centers of communities, in locations that make sense to the communities, not just to developers.
Source: www.AlGore2000.com/issues/livable.html 5/16/99
May 16, 1999
Supports “livability” agenda
The main environmental program that Gore will push is “livability,” a grab-bag of measures to fight urban sprawl, preserve open space and battle traffic congestion.
Source: Time Magazine, p. 65-67
Apr 26, 1999
Control clean air in National Parks
Gore will announce [today] a new federal push to bring air quality over national parks -- some of which now choke in summer smog -- back to pristine, pre-industrial levels. States [must] adopt pollution controls that steadily improve air quality in each
of the next six decades with a goal to eliminating man-made pollution by 2064. For the first time, the government will force states to assess the sources of park air pollution and require some sources to install more sophisticated control technology.
Source: Boston Globe, Sunday April 25, 1999, p.A27, by H. J. Hebert
Apr 25, 1999
Al Gore on Mass Transit + Suburban Sprawl
Replace sprawl with “smart growth”; $7.8B on Everglades
“Rescue of the environment,” insisted Gore in his 1992 book, must become “the central organizing principle for civilization.” This work put him firmly in the green camp, but in this campaign he has been playing down his greenery. His present proposals,
which have disappointed many greens, essentially reaffirm the command-and-control approach of the past. Gore:takes credit for the creation of the Superfund, and promises more cooperative efforts by all layers of government to clean up all brownfield
sitesthinks that government can replace sprawl with “smart growth”wants to help cities finance their revival with “Better America” bonds and tax creditspromises massive investments in public transportationvows to push for better regional
cooperation among governments on such issues as crime, traffic and air pollutionsupports a strong government-led approach to dealing with air and water pollutionbacks a $7.8 billion scheme to clean up and restore the Everglades.
Source: The Economist, “Issues 2000” special
Sep 30, 2000
Major commitment to build high-speed Amtrak rail systems
Q: Should the federal government be spending more to help Amtrak expand intercity rail travel and develop high-speed corridors?? A: With growing congestion on our highways and airports, it’s time to give the American people a fast and efficient
alternative for traveling between our communities. High-speed rail reduces highway and airport congestion, improves air quality, stimulates the economy, and broadens the scope of personal choice for traveling between our communities. That is why, as part
of my Energy Security and Environment Trust Fund, I am proposing a major commitment to build high-speed rail systems in major transportation corridors across the nation. As president, I will fight for new grants to Amtrak and the states for improving
and expanding passenger rail routes and corridors. And I will work to secure funding to help communities improve rail stations - to help rebuild these vital economic centers in cities and small towns across America.
Source: Associated Press
Sep 17, 2000
Both gas & public transit should be affordable & available
The Vice President announced new investments in light rail systems, cleaner buses and high-speed trains that would help cut traffic, reduce smog and end the nation’s
dependence on foreign oil. Gore also called for Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hearings so the public can hear directly from oil company executives. He said: “You
deserve the independence to get in your car and drive anywhere you want to go, on your own schedule, without emptying your wallet at every filling station. You should also have the choice to park your car at a light rail
station and be moved swiftly into a newly-thriving downtown -- without having to worry about gridlock, a parking lot or rush-hour traffic. Transportation choices mean real freedom.“
Source: Press Release, “Energy policy”
Jun 29, 2000
Clean up and improve existing bus & rail systems
Gore would help make city buses & school buses safer and cleaner. His plan would reduce traffic congestion by building light rail, adding new lines or stops; or modernizing existing rail systems. Financial incentives would encourage revitalization of
neighborhoods around rail stations. New high-speed rail systems and improvements to existing routes would help people travel between communities. Finally, the plan would provide grants to Amtrak and communities to improve rail stations across the nation.
Source: Press Release, “Energy policy”
Jun 29, 2000
Gore proposes $2B to counter suburban sprawl
Al Gore proposed spending $2 billion over ten years to set aside more parkland and combat suburban sprawl.
The money would come from a mining industry fee. “All working families deserve easy access to parks and open space, whether they live in the inner city or on the growing edge of suburbia,” he said.
Source: Boston Globe, p. A8, “Political Briefs”
Nov 15, 1999
Mass transit to fight suburban sprawl
By investing in mass transit and light rail, and by helping communities develop alternatives to clogged highways, Gore believes we can reduce traffic and air pollution, and build the stronger sense of community that walkable, bikeable neighborhoods
foster. [Gore encourages] regional cooperation on issues like traffic, air pollution, and jobs [which] don’t recognize defined borders, and neither should our solutions.
Source: www.AlGore2000.com/issues/livable.html 5/16/99
May 16, 1999
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