Breaking News: Al Gore, IPCC Win Nobel Peace Prize
Yesss!!!
The Nobel Foundation announces Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as co-winners of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize:
Al Gore has for a long time been one of the world's leading environmentalist politicians. He became aware at an early stage of the climatic challenges the world is facing. His strong commitment, reflected in political activity, lectures, films and books, has strengthened the struggle against climate change. He is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted.
By awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 to the IPCC and Al Gore, the Norwegian Nobel Committee is seeking to contribute to a sharper focus on the processes and decisions that appear to be necessary to protect the world’s future climate, and thereby to reduce the threat to the security of mankind. Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man’s control.
More on the Nobel Peace Prize announcement from Norway's Aftenposten. Oslo, Norway is where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded (the other Nobel prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden per this article from the International Herald Tribune).
The New Nobel Laureate's statement, via USA Today:
I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- the world’s pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis -- a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years.
We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.
My wife, Tipper, and I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan non-profit organization that is devoted to changing public opinion in the U.S. and around the world about the urgency of solving the climate crisis.
Congratulations, Mr. Vice President. No one is more deserving.
As the Nobel committee said in awarding the prize to environmentalist Wangari Maathai in 2004, "peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment". Gore more than anyone made us aware of global warming, even if it meant, as Carl Pope said in his Salon article, accepting the thankless role of a modern day Cassandra.
The Oscar, the Emmy and now the Nobel. Uhm, now how about the White House in 2008? What say you, Al?
Yes, you've repeatedly said you have no intentions of running and this Time article outlined convincing reasons why you're not likely to change your mind, but we hope you would seriously reconsider.
Global warming is an issue that needs leadership. We don't have that now, and as you've said, we don't have much time. Only you in the White House can provide the necessary leadership to spur the rest of the nation and the world to act.
Never before has America needed a leader of your stature, vision and experience more than now. The next presidential election will be the most crucial one in our history, and you are the only Democrat who can unite the country and lead us to victory. And this country -- indeed, the entire world -- cannot afford anything less.
Our nation and the planet itself are entering “a period of consequences,” as you so well stated in “An Inconvenient Truth,” but in more ways than one. We are ruled by a government of the powerful and for the powerful -- a government that tramples our Constitution, wages unjust war in our name, sacrifices our economic future, and puts our very planet on the endangered species list.
America and the world need you now more than ever. Be our candidate. Run for president. And we pledge that we'll be there for you every day until the last vote is counted.
