An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore: on Environment


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

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

  • The above quotations are from An Inconvenient Truth
    The Planetary Emergence of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
    by Al Gore, copyright 2006.
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2012 Presidential contenders on Environment:
Republicans:
Rep.Newt Gingrich(GA)
Rep.Ron Paul(TX)
Gov.Mitt Romney(MA)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA) 		Democrats:
Pres.Barack Obama(IL)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE) 		Third Parties:
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AmericansElect: Gov.Buddy Roemer(LA)
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