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October 12, 2007
A Nobel Cause: Gore Wins Peace Prize
It's a beautiful day for Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Today they won a Nobel Peace Prize for their work to educate the world about the man-made factors behind global warming and laying groundwork for combating it. By winning the prize, Gore and the IPCC join the ranks of people and organizations like The Red Cross, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., UNICEF, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela, amongst others.
Mr. Gore “is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted,” the Nobel citation said, referring to the issue of climate change. The United Nations committee, a network of 2,000 scientists that was organized in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program, has produced two decades of scientific reports that have “created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming,” the citation said.
More At: NYT.com: Gore and U.N. Panel Win Peace Prize for Climate Work
I'm ecstatic to see Gore's hard work recognized yet again on the world stage - the Academy Award for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth was not nearly enough. This is a man who was a very good vice president, and then after a political mess that could have made him completely lose faith in public service, Gore has gone back to his roots - the issues he'd been passionate about, the issues that had driven him in his career prior the presidential campaigns he was a part of.
Today a lot of people are wondering if this will trigger Gore to run for president this upcoming term. As much as I like him, I hope it doesn't. Right now he can focus on this key issue - climate change - which is in fact a plethora of problems needing solutions, from the energy crisis and our oil addiction to drought and famine brought about by a warming world.
A leader who can work within and beyond our borders to educate people about climate change and help find solutions to the many problems brought about by it is needed, and I really think Al Gore is, and can continue to be effective in this role, but not if he runs for president and inherits responsibility for managing our presence in Iraq. The many other issues that bombard the oval office on a daily basis would only detract from Gore's ability to be our steward in the climate crisis which is bigger than just the United States.
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Posted by sorsha at October 12, 2007 9:03 AM
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I agree with the part about hoping that this doesn't trigger him to think about running. I can't think of another Vice President, that hasn't later become President, who has done so much more out of office than in office. He's become much more popular, from what I can tell. This award goes to show that he's being recognized for his actions on a world scale, too.
If he were to run for President, and win, he wouldn't be able to focus all of his energy on these efforts. In addition, it would likely cause a loss of what looks to be a record setting primary election as well as a record setting presidential election. That would also be unfortunate.
He seems far more valuable in his current roll -- and it seems like he knows that, too, as he has said he won't run even against pressure to do so.
Posted by: Shane Conder | October 24, 2007 6:17 PM