Gore Defends Live Earth Concerts, Self
Says Participating Performers Aren't Hypocritical, And He's Not Using Event To Further Presidential Aspirations
-
Play CBS Video Video Gore Urges Earth Awareness Former Vice President and environmental activist Al Gore speaks with Harry Smith about his thoughts on the climate crisis and the upcoming Live Earth concerts aimed at awareness.
-
Al Gore on The Early Show Friday (CBS/The Early Show)
-
Photo Essay Live Earth Preps Gearing up for climate change concerts being held around the world 7-7-07.
The former vice president says Live Earth is exactly what it's being billed as: a 24-hour, seven-continent succession of concerts Saturday to draw attention to the threat global warming poses to the planet.
Live Earth will indeed be "a global affair," CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer observed Friday on The Early Show, with performers such as Madonna, Bon Jovi, Shakira and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Gore, described by Palmer as the "driving force" behind Live Earth, personally lobbied some of its stars to take the stage, she said.
"Critics have accused Gore of using the event to grab attention for himself and a possible run at the White House, but he says, no, he's just passionately green," Palmer added.
"I'm involved in a different kind of campaign, not for myself, not as a candidate, but to change people's minds about the most dangerous crisis we've ever faced," Gore said on CNN's "Larry King Live."
Asked on The Early Show Friday by co-anchor Harry Smith if he has plans to be in early presidential battleground states New Hampshire or Iowa anytime soon, Gore responded, "No, I have no plans for that. I'm involved in this … campaign to try to change the way people think about this climate crisis.
"This is no joke, Harry. The North Pole is melting. A huge area of snow near the South Pole, an area the size of California, has been melting. The scientists are practically screaming from the rooftops on this, and the solutions are things we ought to be doing for other reasons, anyway.
To see photos of preparations for Live Earth, click here.
Gore defended Live Earth's performers against charges of hypocrisy. Critics point to their using such decidedly environmentally unfriendly items as private jets, big limos and SUVs, but Gore insisted to Smith that Live Earth will set "a new green standard" for the music industry.Photos: The Greening Of Hollywood
Photos: Al Gore "Green" Media Star
"A lot of these groups actually have been in the forefront in the vanguard of awareness of how to have a lighter impact on the environment," Gore continued. "Others are new to the cause, but the standards being set by these concerts will actually have a huge impact in and of itself, but this is all about changing the way people think, all around the world."
"We're gonna be delivering the same message worldwide to the largest audience ever for an entertainment event in the world, an estimated 2 billion people, and we're going to ask people to take a seven-point pledge to be a part of the solution to the climate crisis and, in their role as citizens in every nation, to put pressure on the leadership of their nation regardless of political party to make the changes necessary to solve the climate crisis."
Gore rejected the suggestion that Live Earth is simply preaching to the choir, appealing to those already fearful of the impact of global warming, while falling on deaf ears for others.
"You don't think Dick Cheney and George Bush will be watching this concert, do you?" Smith asked.
"Well, I hope they will. They do need to hear this message," Gore responded with a chuckle, "but, actually, studies show very clearly that, even though a majority of the people now do accept the fact that we are in the midst of this climate crisis, the sense of urgency that's appropriate for what is truly a planetary emergency is still not anywhere close to where it needs to be.
"We'll get there, but this Live Earth series of concerts is completely unprecedented."
Gore announced an additional Live Earth venue, the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian on the mall in Washington, D.C. He said he, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will open that concert.
"There were some naysayers who tried to say, 'No, you cannot have a concert on the mall,' but the cavalry didn't ride to the rescue, the American Indians did," Gore told Smith.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The secrets of tennis legend 




- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
... - 8
- next
See all 154 CommentsPosted by no2koolaid at 04:17 AM : Jul 08, 2007
Leave it to a right wing fascists to try and obscure the point. How many times have Bush's kids gotten into trouble and have had it covered up.
How many times has Bush been drunk and high on cocaine and daddy covered it up.
Get real you right wing goose steppers, you are on the side of evil and you will be defeated.
- Courtesy of Hillary/Barak 2008 Campaign to Save the Planet! -
(from the party that voted for it before they voted against it)
Posted by no2koolaid at 11:28 AM : Jul 08, 2007
Unless that was sarcasm, I would say that YOU drank the Republican koolaid. Those clowns change the story every week. This week it is this next week it is that ...and the implication is that it always has been...revisionist history that Orwell wrote about.
Try to stay current. WMD's are not the issue. The issue is to contain and eliminate the islamofascists OVER THERE so they don't come OVER HERE!!
Just to understand you: Your fearless leader is about to spend a trillion dollars and 4 to 5 thousand American lives securing WMD in Iraq, a country that doesn't have any?
And GORE is Don Quixote???
Hmmm, maybe you're suffering from dehydration?
The whole fiasco where Bush stole the election is behind him and actually helped him--not only is he more of a leader than Bush ever could be, he is also more powerful than George Bush and more popular and is carving a legacy any of the Bushes can only dream of.
Shows what brains, perseverance, and knowing when to ignore the idiots can do to improve life anc change the world for the better. And have fun doing it. Just proves liberals know how to do good and have a good time!
---
Both Al Gore and Bush1 share the burden of such inconvenient sons. And, yes, Bush2 has a complete list of "youthful" offenses to rival Gore's son. Papa Bush1 once said of the dissolute Bush2, "He's killing us!"
And now, we can only conclude it is jealousy which keeps Bush from recommending leniency for the younger Gore, to spare him from serving an "excessively harsh" sentence.
Even Bush agrees with German Chancellor Merkel to recognize human causation of global warming. Said Bush recently, "Each country needs to recognize that we must reduce our greenhouse gases and deal obviously with their own internal politics to come up with an effective strategy that hopefully when added together that it leads to a real reduction."
Bush has been on both sides of this issue, but apparently has wandered across the divide, if only for the sake of keeping the UK and EU happier with US policies. We should not forget Bush is the ideologue who in 2001 abrograted the just-signed Kyoto Treaty, in order not to burden any of his political donors in the US with pollution abatement.
Denial of global warming is a pet GOP cause, because taking responsible measures against climate change threatens the GOP cash cow of Big Oil. Ultimately, the GOP argument against global warming is about money, not science.
Ironically enough, any postponement of climate measures will be even more costly for all of us, GOP bozos included.
So, how does SlipSter01 compare with climatologists concerned about human agency in global warming? Is SlipSter01 their professional peer-- or not?
Let me get this straight: After 20 years of rejecting a Grand-Canyons worth of evidence of Earth warming, you're accepting a thimble's worth of data about Mars? Scientists currently think Global Warming on Earth is 25% due to rises in Solar Insolation, which would also affect other planets, but that warmings been measured? To your SATISFACTION? On SATURN? Dude, Saturn is as cold and dead as YO MOMMA...
BTW: Most of the posters on this thread are anti-warming, so by massive reposting you are pushing their arguments (which are better than yours) to the back. FYI.
SlipSter01 said: "If Climate was beyond your grasp because of math, you sure couldn't get Engineering down." Wanna bet? I don't need to use infinite series of complex exponentials and Heaviside step functions in engineering, thank goodness.
SlipSter01 said: "a reforestation project would take... (60 to 100 years) to offset" that doesn't sound right, trees being a major CO2 sink already. I think cap and trade is an excellent idea for this reason. Reforestation of the tropics helps with critical habitat restoration AND global warming - two birds with one stone. You get to keep yer Coal burners in China, we plant a forest in Burma. Win Win.
Posted by ubrew12 at 03:14 AM : Jul 07, 2007"
Shows how much you know. 20 years ago they were raving about a coming Ice Age, moron.
And we're supposed to believe that, because you couldn't handle the math, you went into engineering, which requires a heck of a lot of math itself?
If Climate was beyond your grasp because of math, you sure couldn't get Engineering down.
As for this "carbon-offset" scam, think of this:
The celebs say they'll pay for a re-forestation project to offset the pollution they create today. But a reforestation project would take 3 to 5 GENERATIONS (60 to 100 years) to offset that amount of pollution attributed to one day/one celeb.
People are so worked up about stopping a natural cycle of climate change, rather than doing what humans have always done: ADAPT!
Explain to me why we have global warming, not just here, but also on Mars, Jupiter AND Saturn at the same time? Read up on the various solar cycles and their effect on climate, then maybe you can go back and get your degree.
Don't make us laugh.
Posted by ubrew12 at 03:14 AM : Jul 07, 2007"
Shows how much you know. 20 years ago they were raving about a coming Ice Age, moron.
And we're supposed to believe that, because you couldn't handle the math, you went into engineering, which requires a heck of a lot of math itself?
If Climate was beyond your grasp because of math, you sure couldn't get Engineering down.
As for this "carbon-offset" scam, think of this:
The celebs say they'll pay for a re-forestation project to offset the pollution they create today. But a reforestation project would take 3 to 5 GENERATIONS (60 to 100 years) to offset that amount of pollution attributed to one day/one celeb.
People are so worked up about stopping a natural cycle of climate change, rather than doing what humans have always done: ADAPT!
Explain to me why we have global warming, not just here, but also on Mars, Jupiter AND Saturn at the same time? Read up on the various solar cycles and their effect on climate, then maybe you can go back and get your degree.
Don't make us laugh.
Posted by ubrew12 at 03:14 AM : Jul 07, 2007"
Shows how much you know. 20 years ago they were raving about a coming Ice Age, moron.
And we're supposed to believe that, because you couldn't handle the math, you went into engineering, which requires a heck of a lot of math itself?
If Climate was beyond your grasp because of math, you sure couldn't get Engineering down.
As for this "carbon-offset" scam, think of this:
The celebs say they'll pay for a re-forestation project to offset the pollution they create today. But a reforestation project would take 3 to 5 GENERATIONS (60 to 100 years) to offset that amount of pollution attributed to one day/one celeb.
People are so worked up about stopping a natural cycle of climate change, rather than doing what humans have always done: ADAPT!
Explain to me why we have global warming, not just here, but also on Mars, Jupiter AND Saturn at the same time? Read up on the various solar cycles and their effect on climate, then maybe you can go back and get your degree.
Don't make us laugh.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
... - 8
- next
See all 154 Comments