Al Gore: Energy Crisis Can Be Fixed

Says Situation Is Dire, But Not Irreversible If Americans Start Rigorous Green Plan Now

(CBS)  Former vice president Al Gore laid down a green gauntlet Thursday, challenging the nation to produce all our electricity from renewable sources, such as wind mills and solar panels - and do it within a decade. In Washington CBS News anchor Katie Couric spoke one-on-one with Gore, whose environmental work earned him a Nobel Prize.

What follows is a full transcript of the interview.

---

Couric: All right, Vice-President Gore, let me just ask you about this challenge you've put forth today. And to briefly explain what prompted you to do this, why?

Gore: We've got to end our dependence on oil and coal. They're rising rapidly in price. That's why gasoline prices are going up, and that's why electricity rates are going up. But the new demand for oil and coal from China and these other fast-growing countries means that the only way we're going to escape the rising prices, and the dependence on foreign sources is by switching to renewable sources.

And now that … the coal and oil's gone up so high and the engineers have brought down the cost of solar and wind and geothermal. Now it's competitive. And if we make a big commitment to take all of our electricity over to renewable sources, then the cost will come down more quickly. We'll have less pollution, lower cost … and a better national security guarantee.

Couric: Don't we get a lot of our electricity from natural gas as well?

Gore: Well, some. Most of it comes from coal. Some of it from nuclear, from hydro. A lot of it, some from natural gas and some of the new units built in the last few years have come from natural gas. Natural gas … is a little bit cleaner than oil and much cleaner than coal. But we, over the, and this is a transition fuel. But in the longer-term, we really should switch to solar … and geo-thermal and wind energy.

Couric: Do you think clean coal is an oxymoron?

Gore: There's no such thing as clean coal. It's non-existent. Theoretically, it might be possible, many years from now, to come up with a way to clean it as it's burnt. But there's not a single demonstration project in the United States. They're not doing anything … to put substance … to the slogan, "clean coal." Clean coal doesn't exist.

Couric: Doesn't it take as much energy to produce it as it would to burn coal? I mean, isn't that the argument against it, the whole process is, I mean, we're not gonna get into great detail here. But, is, that's my understanding, anyway.

Gore: One of the reasons they have been slow to install these systems for capturing the CO2 when the coal is burnt is that it's expensive. But with more work and some point in the future, after that work is done, it may be possible. But the burden should be on those who are burning it to show that it can be clean. It's not now. And just to say it's clean, that's deceptive.

Couric: You've set a 10-year deadline. Is that realistic?

Gore: I think it is, because there's some challenges - think of the Apollo program, the interstate highway system - there's some challenges that are really important to the future of the country, that can't be done in a single year or two years. But setting a 40-year goal, that's, you know, nobody takes that seriously. Ten years is about the limit of what we can stay focused on and … can sustain a really sizeable national commitment. An awful lot's at stake, Katie, because the scientists are telling us that we have less than 10 years to begin massive reductions in global warming solutions, or else this climate crisis might not be retrievable. It is retrievable and solvable, if we start now on a bold program.

Couric: You talk about solar farms in the desert, wind farms in the plains, a totally new electrical grid will have to be built. Your own group says, Vice President Gore, it will cost between $1.5 and $3 trillion.

Gore: That's private investment, as well as public investment. And it is…

Couric: That's a lot of money, no matter how you cut it, right?

Gore: It is. It's almost as much as the cost of the Iraq War. And it's almost as much as we would have to pay to go out and build new coal plants and new oil-drilling rigs in order … to get the energies that way. We're going to make investments in new energy supply. If we choose to do it with renewable energy, it will cost money.

But once we built it, the fuel is free. The sunshine and the wind … are here. China can't bid up the price. It's not gonna run out. So we need to switch to a new system that doesn't pollute, that won't be disrupted by some war in the Persian Gulf, and that will steadily come down in price as we make a bigger commitment to it.

Couric: Do you think the political will is there to change the way we do business so dramatically in this country?

Gore: I think we're getting there. I don't think it's there on Capitol Hill. I don't think it's there in the White House. I think it's beginning to build pretty steadily among the American people. People are really hurt by these high gasoline prices. And people have caught on, after 35 years, to the fact that simply producing more oil does not bring down the price of gasoline.

Hasn't in the past, won't in the future, because these new growing economies in China and elsewhere … are bidding up the price of oil, and so gasoline prices … we've got to break free of this limited supply of dirty fuels. And shift over to a source of energy that's based on fuel that's free. And equipment that's high technology and is steadily coming down in price.

Couric: What about nuclear power? I ask, what about nuclear power, because countries like France get something like 75-to-80 percent of their power from nuclear.

Gore: France is unique. It's a special case. We have a lot of nuclear plants in the U.S., and … I'm not anti-nuclear. I'm a little skeptical that's it's gonna play a much bigger role than it does now. I think it'll continue to play a role. But the problems with nuclear are it's very expensive. It takes a long time to build. And these nuclear plants only come in one size, extra large.

And utilities don't want to commit all that money for 15 years to get a plant that's rising in cost. And of course the fuel also has some problems, because if it gets out to other countries that can't be trusted, it feeds the problem of proliferating nuclear weapons.

Couric: Do you also worry about nuclear plants being potential targets for terrorists?

Yes, I myself, I don't think of that as a bar to nuclear power, because there are a lot of things that are potential targets, and we need to equip ourselves … to protect them. It's one of the problems, for sure, the nuclear waste storage issue is one of the problems. But I think the bigger problems are the cost, the long time for construction, and also the problem that if other countries make a massive commitment to it, we make the problem of nuclear weapons proliferation worse.

Let's talk about T. Boone Pickens. I recently talked to T. Boone about his whole idea of wind power, along this wind corridor, in the central part of the United States. What do you think of that?

Gore: He's obviously a very smart guy. He's been very successful. And I'm impressed that, after such a long and successful career in the oil business … he's done the numbers and figured out that huge investments in windmills are gonna make him money and help the country. So I think that he has a lot of credibility. When he says, "We can't drill our way out of this," he knows what he's talking about, and that we should go to renewable sources.

Couric: What do you think of his notion … replace the electricity we get from natural gas with wind power, use that natural gas to power automobiles.

Gore: Yeah. Some people see that as kind of a shell game. I think it's a respectable idea. I would prefer to take our cars and trucks and move directly to electric vehicles, and not take the intermediate step of trying to equip them to use natural gas. But … he has the same basic idea of shifting away from oil and coal, not better overly heavy on nuclear, but instead making massive investments in renewable energy.

That's the keystone of his plan. Andy Grove at Intel has a similar plan. So a lot of our senior business leaders are telling us, these are not normal times. We cannot continue to bring in 70 percent of all of our oil from overseas, and keep seeing the price … and keep doing it while the price goes up and up.

Couric: Which must be gratifying for you, to have these Republican business leaders saying, you know, "we want to jump on this bandwagon. We have to."

Gore: Well, yes. I've long argued… that this should not be a partisan issue. And I'm gratified that a lot of people, regardless of political party, are looking at the facts and saying, "Yes, it's time to move in a big way." And the reason I put out this strategic goal of shifting all of our electricity generation over a 10-year period to renewable sources, and if they can capture and safely store the carbon from fossil fuels, that can be a part of it. But we can't count on that. We need … to shift over to renewable energy.

Couric: You know, I don't remember exactly all the factors, but some critics say, you know, solar and wind is the not the panacea some people think. It's very expensive. Usually in the summer months, there's less wind, when people need more electricity. I sort of read some reality check on these alternative energy sources. Do you think you're putting too much stock in these, as a panacea for our energy problem?

Gore: Not at all, because the older conception about solar power and wind power are giving way to the new developments that these scientists … and engineers have come up with, because the price of oil and coal have been going up so much, there have been, there's been a lot of investment in getting better ways to convert solar energy into electricity and wind into electricity. That cost has been coming down, while the oil and coal has continued to go up. It's now right at the point where it's competitive.

And it's true that wind power comes and goes with the wind. But the solar plan, that are in the desert areas where the sun's almost always shining, they're pretty steady. And the production actually matches … the times of day when we need the most electricity. And the steadiness of that solar power can even out the peaks and valleys of the wind. And if you do 'em both together, they fit like a hand in a glove.

Couric: I wanted to ask you about President Bush's press conference this week. It was interesting. Someone asked him, "Do you think Americans should sacrifice more?" He, in his press conference this week, President Bush said it would be presumptuous for him to ask the American people to sacrifice more to deal with this current, gas prices, et cetera. Do you think it's presumptuous to ask the American people to conserve?

Gore :Well, I have to warn you that I've recently begun to fear I'm losing my objectivity on President Bush.

Couric: I'm shocked.

Gore: So I'm gonna …you have to take it with a grain of salt.

[sptiso1]

Katie makes $Millions? per year and Al Gore (father centured by the senate/congress back in the 50''s) has been taking how many millions of $ from environmentlists for how long? PLEASE LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD, I MAKE $80K AND NOT SURE HOW I WILL KEEP MY HOUSE AFTER PAYING MY TAXES FOR YEARS...BY THE WAY PLEASE ADVISE...I WANT TO BE AS SMART AS YOU FOLKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kimbrotoo]

He is so right. I''m fully on board with his message. Tell me what I can do. So glad he''s taken the position he has on the Obama VP spotlight. He''s done more for the world than he ever could as President of the U.S or VP.

Thank you Al Gore, and to Katie Couric for putting together this spot!

[rosieod4prez]

"Gore :Well, I have to warn you that I''ve recently begun to fear I''m losing my objectivity on President Bush." - article

Remove the last three words, and I believe you''ll hear the REAL message.





I can see it now - dateline 2080...

The Gore family has been asked by the Nobel family to return the prize money and Medal mistakenly awarded in the earlier part of this century for Al Gore''s bogus theories on Humans being involved in the Green house effect.

[jeffdiver1]

So when is this blowhard going to walk the walk? Let''s see he lives in a mansion in Tennessee & has offices in San Francisco travels often to DC & NY and who knows where. When his carbon footprint in reality get to what the average man should be (not by buying scam-ola carbon buydowns.) Here is a guy who has found the pc cause of the day, is a fraud and a charlatan for trying to sell his snake oil remedy.

[jeffdiver1]

So when is this blowhard going to walk the walk? Let''s see he lives in a mansion in Tennessee & has offices in San Francisco travels often to DC & NY and who knows where. When his carbon footprint in reality get to what the average man should be (not by buying scam-ola carbon buydowns.) Here is a guy who has found the pc cause of the day, is a fraud and a charlatan for trying to sell his snake oil remedy.

[jeffdiver1]

So when is this blowhard going to walk the walk? Let''s see he lives in a mansion in Tennessee & has offices in San Francisco travels often to DC & NY and who knows where. When his carbon footprint in reality get to what the average man should be (not by buying scam-ola carbon buydowns.) Here is a guy who has found the pc cause of the day, is a fraud and a charlatan for trying to sell his snake oil remedy.

[houbrm]

what a joke - the pot calling the kettle. Hello Katie - can you do REAL news??????

[c_lint-2009]

Oh no!! The sky is falling!! It''s all going to hell in a hand basket!!! Guess what...the more "Mr. Gore" can keep this up, the more money he makes! Look up how much he makes at speaking engagements on this subject. We aren''t stupid "Mr. Gore"! The earth has survived a long time, and it isn''t falling apart. Today''s average temperature is the same as it was in the 1940''s!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sidetrail4]

Ya know, these people going on about Gore just don''t get it. Have you opinion on Global Warming, but he is right, we can''t just depend on oil and coal. Wake up and take notice, if you don''t then stop all the whining about the price of gas, oil, and the state of the economy and deal with it.

[mattcbsmatt]

Usual paid political ***
They can fool most of the people most of the time (most greatest)
But they can not fool all the people all the time

Well the US of A is not allowed to do the HYDROGEN H2 fuel cells stuff
United States Of America
U Suck Oily ***
I GUESS THET LIKE THE STINKY STUFF
This HYDROGEN fuel cell stuff is just a passing gas phase a farty fad
I quess the US of A government is all afraidly cats terror cats : (

[normsw]

I WONDER WHERE THE ANTI-GLOBAL WARMING PEOPLE THINK THE MILLIONS OF TONS OF AIR AND WATER POLLUTION ARE GOING--INTO OUTER SPACE, MAYBE?
THERE IS A LIMIT TO HOW MUCH THE ENVIRONMENT CAN ABSORB, AND NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THAT LIMIT IS.
MAYBE NEXT WEEK, MONTH, OR YEAR WE RUN OUT OF AIR TO BREATHE, OR OUR GRANDCHILDREN DO, WHO KNOWS?

[jedi080808]

I WONDER WHERE THE ANTI-GLOBAL WARMING PEOPLE THINK THE MILLIONS OF TONS OF AIR AND WATER POLLUTION ARE GOING--INTO OUTER SPACE, MAYBE?
THERE IS A LIMIT TO HOW MUCH THE ENVIRONMENT CAN ABSORB, AND NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THAT LIMIT IS.
MAYBE NEXT WEEK, MONTH, OR YEAR WE RUN OUT OF AIR TO BREATHE, OR OUR GRANDCHILDREN DO, WHO KNOWS?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by normsw

News flash, MAN MADE Global warming is BS. Just like Gore invented the internet. In 10 years this whole thing will be looked at as a big hoax.

[greeneyes222]

Al Gore is a flaming hypocrite. How is he even relevant any more?

[ubrew12]

Couric: Let''s talk about T. Boone Pickens.
Gore: He''s obviously a very smart guy....I''m impressed that, after such a long and successful career in the oil business %u2026 he''s done the numbers and figured out that huge investments in windmills are gonna make him money and help the country....When he says, "We can''t drill our way out of this," he knows what he''s talking about"

Hate Gore all you want, but the entry of T Boone Pickens into the renewable field is a death knell to all you Global Warming deniers out there. Pickens is careful to keep off the topic of Global Warming, and uses the term ''foreign oil'', but us on the left know EXACTLY what he''s talking about, and so do you.

[mtracy9]

We''re closing in on one trillion dollars spent on the Bush/Cheney Haliburton oil wars. Imagine if that money had been spent on renewable energy, we could be be well on our way toward enery independence. Of course the fat pig *** Cheney/s oil stock would not have appreciated as much, but even he shouldn''t whine. With Cheney''s heart in the condition it''s in this maggot will be dead in a couple years anyway, so all those millions he made off the oil wars will be for naught.

[micib]

It always amazes me that those who drive around in their large SUVs find Al Gore''s view of the future unpalatable. The facts are simple. Fossil fuels are limited! Irrespective of one''s views on global warming,the need to develop sustainable energy for the future is evident. Wake Up Call!

[micib]

It always amazes me that those who drive around in their large SUVs find Al Gore''s view of the future unpalatable. The facts are simple. Fossil fuels are limited! Irrespective of one''s views on global warming,the need to develop sustainable energy for the future is evident. Wake Up Call!

[micib]

It always amazes me that those who drive around in their large SUVs find Al Gore''s view of the future unpalatable. The facts are simple. Fossil fuels are limited! Irrespective of one''s views on global warming,the need to develop sustainable energy for the future is evident. Wake Up Call!

[micib]

It always amazes me that those who drive around in their large SUVs find Al Gore''s view of the future unpalatable. The facts are simple. Fossil fuels are limited! Irrespective of one''s views on global warming,the need to develop sustainable energy for the future is evident. Wake Up Call!

[micib]

It always amazes me that those who drive around in their large SUVs find Al Gore''s view of the future unpalatable. The facts are simple. Fossil fuels are limited! Irrespective of one''s views on global warming,the need to develop sustainable energy for the future is evident. Wake Up Call!

[micib]

It always amazes me that those who drive around in their large SUVs find Al Gore''s view of the future unpalatable. The facts are simple. Fossil fuels are limited! Irrespective of one''s views on global warming,the need to develop sustainable energy for the future is evident. Wake Up Call!

[micib]

It always amazes me that those who drive around in their large SUVs find Al Gore''s view of the future unpalatable. The facts are simple. Fossil fuels are limited! Irrespective of one''s views on global warming,the need to develop sustainable energy for the future is evident. Wake Up Call!

[njacobi1]

I have watched with great interest Couric''s interview with Al Gore I think Gore could be talked into being Obams''s VP if he was fully empowered in implementing the energy program he promotes. If Obama has the vision and strength to acrually bring about the change he talks abuot, they could make an effective and formidable running team capturing the imagination and need of the American people.
Nathan Jacobi
Now in Israel

[rowdywicca]

OK, AL, bring it on, you''ve been talking this ***** for ten years now...bring it on...where is it...get it done!

Where we gonna build it? What''s it called? What day should I have some people there to start on it? Where do we start?

(snort)

(Talk''s simply hot air...and it''s cheap!)

[lewisglarsen]

Al Gore''s speech was an excellent clarion call to arms on the need to take bold action on an array of problems surrounding energy, climate change, and ecologically sustainable global economic growth. That having been said, I think that it was a tactical mistake for him to omit mentioning any form of carbon-free nuclear power as an integral component of a whole portfolio of different energy technologies that must be utilized to help solve these problems. In particular, there is a new type of nuclear energy technology that truly has the promise of being clean, green, and potentially low-cost. Unlike fission and fusion, which are based on what physicists call the "strong interaction," this new, little-mentioned technology is based on the "weak interaction." It is called Low Energy Nuclear Reactions or LENRs. It has radical advantages (no dangerous radiation and no radioactive waste) over nuclear fission and "hot" fusion technologies. However, this is a very disruptive technology in that it potentially threatens many vested interest groups in multiple industries all over the world, such as battery and fuel cell manufacturers in the near-term and in the long term, the oil industry. Just hit the Google and Yahoo search engines if you wish to learn more --- Lewis Larsen, Lattice Energy LLC.

[crashnebula-2009]

"Hate Gore all you want, but the entry of T Boone Pickens into the renewable field is a death knell to all you Global Warming deniers out there."
Posted by ubrew12

Businessman like T. Boone Pickens just don''t make such maneuvers out of the kindness of their hearts or concern for 100 years from now (he''s pushing well into 60 so he''s not long for this world) they do this because they smell an easy profit, huge government handouts (ala oil companies), and sheep that''ll push their agenda. Much like the pay as you go carbon credits, they do very little to offset foot prints but sure turn a nice profit for those who''re running them. We''ve been doing that "pay as you pollute" via EPA with large industries for well over a decade in heavily polluted areas yet they''re still polluted. (Certain industries would have to pay an "extra fee" to emit more emissions into the air during "prime time" (before 5pm) but the fee never matched the potential damage created by added emissions)

[crashnebula-2009]

None of this move to new technologies is going to do much if we as a nation keep with the attitude of "not in my back yard" when it comes time to act. We as a nation have seen this within the last decade when it was said we need more prisons to ease overcrowding, everybody agreed but when it was time to build you couldn''t find the land as communities opposed. Now, people are fine accepting such things as wind farms but you have people such as Sen. Kennedy saying "not in my back yard" but wasn''t he for this change? Unless we as a nation are ready to make such sacrifices for the betterment of all this issue, like many others, will fall flat on its face.

[likeitis5050]

So is Gore registered as a reliable source of wind power...he''d be more reliable than acutal wind, which comes in at a whopping %20!!!! When I see Gore tooling around on a scooter and driving a hybrid and doing all his ''conferences'' by phone in order to save fuel he sucks down in his private jet...then I MIGHT reconsider his motives in all of this. Until then...he''s a gas bag.

[rowdywicca]

Where we gonna build it? What''''''''s it called? What day should I have some people there to start on it? Where do we start?
(snort)
(Talk''''''''s simply hot air...and it''''''''s cheap!)
Posted by RowdyWicca at 09:22 AM : Jul 18, 2008

You are correct, you are full of cheap hot air and ignornace.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by tru_america1 at 09:30 AM : Jul 18, 2008

Unfortunately, so is Mr. Al Gore!...sigh

[rowdywicca]

It always amazes me that those who drive around in their large SUVs find Al Gore''''s view of the future unpalatable. The facts are simple. Fossil fuels are limited! Irrespective of one''''s views on global warming,the need to develop sustainable energy for the future is evident. Wake Up Call!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by MiciB at 07:58 AM : Jul 18, 2008

OK, I''M CONVINCED...LET''S GET IT ON...WHEN DO I HAVE SOME PEOPLE THERE TO START IT??? WHERE IS IT? GETERDONE!

[jongood65]

Al Gore left his fleet of gas guzzling moster vehicles idling outside while he preached to the nation about conserving. Bad Al Gore you might say, but I''m beginning to think he actually has it right. Given this, in concert with his 28,000 sq. ft. home with a carbon footprint the size of 100 average American homes gobbling fossil fuel.

The best way to force us to convert to renewable energy is to suck every last drop of fossil fuel out of the earth. When there is no more, then folks will begin listening to all you "Chicken Little" libtards chortling all this doom and gloom.

Until then, just remember....Follow the money.

In this case Al Gore, Sen. NObama, and untold hundreds of these greenie weenie promoters are making millions from these bio-fuel producers and the greenie weenie industry in general.

[jongood65]

We are now watching the Democrats developing the next .COM faux economic bubble just as we watched the Bill Clinton regime develop in the ''90''s.

This faux GreenieWeenie economy will swell making politicians rich behond imagine, until folks wake up and pop it just as they did in 2000 with the .COM bubble.

And, the bubble following this one will likely be some faux economy designed to reverse all the damage the greenie weenie industry inflicted on America.

And, all the while the nation hating Democrat libtards will still be pointing the finger at the GOP and the vicious cycle will continue.

[rowdywicca]

Writing books and going around TALKING about this KRAP does NOT help the planet! It only makes millions for Mr. Gore!

When Mr. Gore takes his fancy TALK and his fancy MONEY and starts up a company that produces a hydrogen fueled car, and a hydrogen producing energy plant...then he MIGHT have some credibility!

Again, Mr. Gore...I know how to hire people...when should I have them there to start, and where do they need to be, and who''s going to pay them...SOMEBODY....ANYBODY have a CLUE????

[jongood65]

I keep hearing about Sen. NoWayBama only increasing taxes on the rich??

Yet, just last evening I hear a man breaking it down.

Sen. NOwayBama''s plan declares a family of four earning $50,000 will in fact receive an extra $1000 tax credit they are not receiving today.

Sound good?? Perhaps, until you take a bit closer look. Remember, Sen. NOwayBama has already declared he will allow the current $2500 tax cut this family is receiving from the G.W. Bush tax cuts expire.

which will result in this family actually receiving a tax increase of $1,500 above what they are paying today.

Now add this $113 a month tax increase to what you are paying at the pump thanks to Sen. NOwayBama and his version of, "Just Say NO" and see how much you really love the "CHANGE" he is promising you now???

What a guy....And all the time he''s grinning like a possum eating ka,ka all the way to the bank with the cash he''s getting from the greenie weenie industry for just saying NO, NO, NO, NO.

Folks, this is by no means a black white thing...This is a pure American versus un-American thing we have here.

[jon2012-2009]

Al Gore left his fleet of gas guzzling moster vehicles idling outside while he preached to the nation about conserving. Bad Al Gore you might say, but I''''m beginning to think he actually has it right. Given this, in concert with his 28,000 sq. ft. home with a carbon footprint the size of 100 average American homes gobbling fossil fuel.
Posted by JonGood65 at 12:09 PM : Jul 18, 2008

You can''t attack his ideas so you attack him. Typical Republican tactic. You know, we don''t have to accept or reject his pattern of personal energy consumption (putting aside questions about your details and characterization of it) but we do have to make a decision about climate change and dependence on oil, foreign and domestic. Nothing you or anyone on this board is saying contradicts the main ideas he touts--a shift to renewables being good for the economy, environment, and national security.

[jon2012-2009]

Al Gore left his fleet of gas guzzling moster vehicles idling outside while he preached to the nation about conserving. Bad Al Gore you might say, but I''''m beginning to think he actually has it right. Given this, in concert with his 28,000 sq. ft. home with a carbon footprint the size of 100 average American homes gobbling fossil fuel.
Posted by JonGood65 at 12:09 PM : Jul 18, 2008

You can''t attack his ideas so you attack him. Typical Republican tactic. You know, we don''t have to accept or reject his pattern of personal energy consumption (putting aside questions about your details and characterization of it) but we do have to make a decision about climate change and dependence on oil, foreign and domestic. Nothing you or anyone on this board is saying contradicts the main ideas he touts--a shift to renewables being good for the economy, environment, and national security.

[jon2012-2009]

Al Gore left his fleet of gas guzzling moster vehicles idling outside while he preached to the nation about conserving. Bad Al Gore you might say, but I''''m beginning to think he actually has it right. Given this, in concert with his 28,000 sq. ft. home with a carbon footprint the size of 100 average American homes gobbling fossil fuel.
Posted by JonGood65 at 12:09 PM : Jul 18, 2008

You can''t attack his ideas so you attack him. Typical Republican tactic. You know, we don''t have to accept or reject his pattern of personal energy consumption (putting aside questions about your details and characterization of it) but we do have to make a decision about climate change and dependence on oil, foreign and domestic. Nothing you or anyone on this board is saying contradicts the main ideas he touts--a shift to renewables being good for the economy, environment, and national security.

[libh8er]

If the Democrats really wanted oil companies to find more oil, they''d allow oil companies to drill offshore and to drill in ANWR, which we happen to know is bursting with oil.

But they don''t. They don''t want drilling. They don''t want more oil. They want humans to ride bicycles and then to die. We deserve it: We were mean to the polar bears.

[jongood65]

Al Gore left his fleet of gas guzzling moster vehicles idling outside while he preached to the nation about conserving. Bad Al Gore you might say, but I''m beginning to think he actually has it right. Given this, in concert with his 28,000 sq. ft. home with a carbon footprint the size of 100 average American homes gobbling fossil fuel.
Posted by JonGood65 at 12:09 PM : Jul 18, 2008

You can''t attack his ideas so you attack him. ...
Posted by jon2012 at 01:12 PM : Jul 18, 2008

Jon, had you not pulled the classic, left wing pinko, hyphenated-American Democrat job of selectively editing my post, it revealed how I was in fact agreeing with AlGore''s plan.

Grow up. Get a life.

[jongood65]

Al Gore left his fleet of gas guzzling moster vehicles idling outside while he preached to the nation about conserving. Bad Al Gore you might say, but I''m beginning to think he actually has it right. Given this, in concert with his 28,000 sq. ft. home with a carbon footprint the size of 100 average American homes gobbling fossil fuel.
Posted by JonGood65 at 12:09 PM : Jul 18, 2008

You can''t attack his ideas so you attack him. ...
Posted by jon2012 at 01:12 PM : Jul 18, 2008

Jon, had you not pulled the classic, left wing pinko, hyphenated-American Democrat job of selectively editing my post, it revealed how I was in fact agreeing with AlGore''s plan.

Grow up. Get a life.

[BBernsten]

Al Gore is ahead of the curve!!!

Solar energy, wind power and electric vehicles are no longer an option, but a requirement for the American consumer.

A fundamental change in our driving habits is now required.

The Automobile Industry is going to be in the same position as the Airline Industry in the next few months. Unless we get away from gas combustion vehicles, including Hybrids, the automobile industry (as we know it) will die.We need to make drastic moves. America needs to move to ELECTRIC. The vehicles are not as fast, not always as fun to drive, but the move will save Americans money (Billions) and help bring change to our automotive companies. Let''s "Be Green"!!!!!!!!!!!! BG Automotive Group Ltd. has a car that will travel 80-100 miles per charge for $15,995. Finally a car that most Americans can afford. Did you know that 80% of all drivers, drive less than 50 miles per day? This new car will cost an equivalent of $0.20-0.25 cents/gallon (depending on electricity rates in your area). Why send $700 Billion per year to OPEC (now buying up U.S. companies) when we can use this money for our schools, health care, social security for all Americans, etc, etc, etc. We can make the difference if WE change.

[kerrjac]

The reason why oil demand is up in developing nations is because they''re becoming more industrial. When the US economy started becoming industrial, we had the necessary oil to fuel the economy. It''s unfair to turn our back and now deny this resource to developing nations who need it to thrive - it''s not an abstract argument, their lives are at stake. Furthermore, global warming is an abstract theory with more holes than most people realize. Historically, pollution emited from cities in developing nations tends to increase as their economies are being kick-started, and then decrease and plateau when they hit a certain level of wealth.

[kerrjac]

The reason why oil demand is up in developing nations is because they''re becoming more industrial. When the US economy started becoming industrial, we had the necessary oil to fuel the economy. It''s unfair to turn our back and now deny this resource to developing nations who need it to thrive - it''s not an abstract argument, their lives are at stake. Furthermore, global warming is an abstract theory with more holes than most people realize. Historically, pollution emited from cities in developing nations tends to increase as their economies are being kick-started, and then decrease and plateau when they hit a certain level of wealth.

[rowdywicca2]

there''s no such thing as global warming, what it''s snowing in los angeles? and the ice is melting in the north pole, thats nothing!!! you think the mental recession will help?

[fixhist]

"Al Gore left his fleet of gas guzzling moster vehicles idling outside while he preached to the nation about conserving. "

Why he should shut CO2 emissions?

What is your qualification?
What you will feed as food to green pastures in America?
CO2 down in America will turn all green to rubis,for now enough Bush beeting has been done on Oil & Gas already.

[fixhist]

"Al Gore left his fleet of gas guzzling moster vehicles idling outside while he preached to the nation about conserving. "

Why he should shut CO2 emissions?

What is your qualification?
What you will feed as food to green pastures in America?
CO2 down in America will turn all green to rubish,for now enough Bush beating has been done on Oil & Gas already.

[lorinkundert]

Al Gore can help fix it by going away and thus reducing his carbon footprint by 245 households.

[libh8er]

''Al Gore: Energy Crisis Can Be Fixed''

Too bad ALGore can''t be ''FIXED''

[rowdywicca2]

republicans destroying the earth! make more money!
gOp forever!!

[mtracy9]

We''''re closing in on one trillion dollars spent on the Bush/Cheney Haliburton oil wars. Imagine if that money had been spent on renewable energy, we could be be well on our way toward enery independence. Of course the fat pig *** Cheney/s oil stock would not have appreciated as much, but even he shouldn''''t whine. With Cheney''''s heart in the condition it''''s in this maggot will be dead in a couple years anyway, so all those millions he made off the oil wars will be for naught.