Climate Games starting to be developed

Al Gore has a blog that I have started to follow. Here is a link if you are interested: Al Gore: Game Change. He has put together a list of 19 game websites that teach adults and teen gamers about climate change and what we can do about it. He is still an optomist.

Looking down the list and giving each game a try, the one that drew me in and actually wanted to make me try it was MY2050. Plan It Green had some good resources. It was info overload for me about half way through. That is the problem when it comes to talking about climate change for lots of people, I'm afraid. But have fun checking it out.

Al Gore

I went to Nashville a few weeks ago. Actually found Al Gore's office and walked in and met the receptionist.

The We Campaign New Ads

We campaign has two new ads. They are part two of the Sharpton / Robertson and Pelosi / Gingrich ads. The message basically says, "all that's missing is you." I'm not yet sure how I feel about these ads. They are basically plain vanilla. Time will tell how effective they are.

Dear Al 'Galileo' Gore,

A modern day Galileo. Galileo tried to explain that the earth was NOT the center of the universe. He too was persecuted for this by the Catholic church who refused to abandon outdated or incorrect teaching.

Fast forward to the 21st century and global warming. How dare Al 'Galileo' Gore say that our thinking about our carbon consumption is wrong. The nerve to suggest that we should tax carbon. How dare he say that we might be turning our planet into an Inferno.

Galileo died in 1642 and was pardoned for his heresy September 1, 1999. It only took 3 1/2 centuries for the Catholic church to admit they were wrong.

Hang in there Al, you will eventually be vindicated...

Al Gore's TED 2008 video

Religion is not about belief but about behavior.

Faith without works is dead.

Our laws have to change. Believing that we can overcome the climate challenges we face without changing the laws is empty hype. We as citizens have to beat the drum and demand change. What is the change? Put a price on carbon. Here is his video...

We Can Solve the Climate Crisis

Can you imagine Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson on the same page when it comes to taking care of our planet? A topic as important as the health of our planet, that is largely ignored by the press will now be addressed with spot ads like this in the new "We Can Solve It" campaign that Al Gore and friends are promoting.

Grasping the idea of climate change and global warming can be a scary thing. My own son talks about how his generation is filled with eco-anxiety about their futures. We can't wait, we have to wake up and do something about it. Even if the earth were not getting warmer, we are damaging the ecosystem and depleting our natural resources at an alarming rate. Yes nature bounces back, but it will be too late for many species who have already gone extinct. We are passengers on this ship and it is our duty to care for it. We have to turn things around and make people understand that the earth is a living organism, not just a rock filled with things that are there for us to exploit.

Let's hope that the "We Campaign" is a success.

Al Gore and Tipper on 60 minutes

Click here to see interview

It is so good to see both of them on 60 minutes. I can't believe they live near my old house in Nashville. He opened my eyes and changed my life in my early years of environmentalism. I laugh and tell people that the only reason I voted for Bill Clinton was because he picked Al Gore as his running mate and I hoped that he would one day be the president. His campaign in 2000 was the first presidential campaign that I ever volunteered for. It was so horrible to watch the recount from ground zero. I'm so proud of what he has been able to do in spite of the stolen election.

I think of the movie "The Gladiators" and compare it to Al Gore. The character that Russell Crowe played was to become emperors but it was stolen from him and he was sold into slavery. But in the end, his character is triumphant and is able to destroy the enemy. And so will Al Gore. He, in the end will be able to change the world, withouth the presidency.

This is a good interview. He is now 60 years old. Let's hope they both live a long and prosperous life and continue to succeed in their efforts to wake up the world to the threat of climate change and global warming.

Al Gore joins Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield and Byers

This is quite noteworthy. Former vice president Al Gore has become a partner in Silicon Valley's top venture capital firm, Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield and Byers. These guys were the early investors in Google. I'm so happy for him.

Why the whacky right hates Al Gore

Here's a good article by Paul Krugman. He kind of hits the nail on the head when he describes why are infected by the Gore Derangement Syndrome. Best line in the article: "I believe, largely motivated by the desire to expunge the stain of illegitimacy from the Bush administration."

Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize

I felt like crying when I heard the news. Al Gore is one of my heroes. He made me aware of environmental issues in my formative years. He is one of the first people I ever heard speaking out about climate change, even when it was not popular to do so. I am so happy for him.

I met a teacher yesterday who was teaching a unit on energy and didn't know what fossil fuels were. We have a long way to go. I'm so happy that this will give him one more moment in the spot light where he can try to help educate those who don't understand why this matters.

Earth Trends

I think I have been like an ostrich with my head in the sand. I have not wanted to look at Climate Change, Global Warming, and Climate Crisis, what ever you want to call it squarely in the eye, so I have been skirting the issue and basically ignoring it. I bought into the coal and oil companies’ propaganda. I swallowed it hook line and sinker. Now that I'm taking a hard look at it thanks to Tim Flannery's book, “Weather Makers”, I can see that there are a lot of groups out there who are really trying to sound the alarm. I thought this crisis was too big and something I didn't need to worry about. Now I know that I was wrong. It is something that we need to worry about. I thought it was in some distant future; Tim's book really gives background in our geological history as a planet and has helped me understand what I do today does make a HUGE difference. He has opened my eyes to the fact that the "age of man" that I take for granted could very well become a temporary thing if we continue on our current course. If people wake up and realize that this threat is real and it is not in some far off distant future, we have the ingenuity to solve the problem. But time is of essence. No one can say we weren't warned. What in the world was I thinking....

Carbon Calculator

Al Gore's TED Talk... and Funny too!

Al Gore Action Agenda

Al Gore's legislative recommendations to the House (March, 2007)

1) An immediate "carbon freeze" that would cap U.S. CO2 emissions at current levels, followed by a 90% reductions by 2050.

2) Start a long-term tax shift to reduce payroll taxes and increase taxes on CO2 emissions.

3) Put aside a portion of carbon tax revenues to help low-income people make the transition

4) Create a strong international treaty by working toward "de facto compliance with Kyoto" and moving up the start date for Kyoto's successor from 2012 to 2010.

5) Implement a moratorium on construction of new coal-fired power plants that are not compatible with carbon capture and sequestration.

6) Create an "ELECTRANET" -- a smart electricity grid that allows individuals and businesses to feed power back in at prevailing market rates.

7) Raise automobile CAFE standards.

8) Set a date for a ban on incandescent light bulbs.

9) Create "Connie Mae," a carbon-neutral mortgage association, to help defray the upfront costs of energy-efficient building.

10) Have the SEC require disclosure of carbon emissions in corporate reporting, as a relevant "material risk."