Post by delhi Garden on Jun 6, 2005 10:49:37 GMT -5
Warning from Gore on future
Global warming called an emergency
When former Vice President Al Gore gave a long list of doom-and- gloom statistics Saturday about global warming -- warning people that rising sea levels could drown out parts of Florida, Louisiana and Manhattan -- there were no loud gasps or headshakes of disbelief from a roomful of Bay Area environmentalists.
At the World Environment Day conference in San Francisco -- a five-day U. N. gathering dedicated to adopting sound environmental practices for urban centers -- he was preaching to the choir.
"To an audience like this, Al Gore needs little introduction," Randy Hayes, founder of Rainforest Action Network, told the crowd before Gore took the stage for his keynote address.
Gore, who has made environmental activism a key component of his life since running for president in 2000, delivered an hourlong speech about climate change and global warming, which he called a "planetary emergency."
"We can't ignore it," he told the packed audience at the Fort Mason Center. "We can't put our heads in the sand."
When he wasn't presenting charts about rising levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere or speaking about the ways global warming rapidly sucks moisture out of the Earth's soil at high levels, he was, at times, uncharacteristically funny.
There were lots of strategically placed one-liners, even a cartoon skit about global warming based on "The Simpsons."
"I am Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States," he said to a laughing crowd. "I don't find that particularly funny."
He took a couple jabs at the Bush administration and even managed to squeeze in a political endorsement for Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, in his bid for state attorney general.
"We've got to organize politically, locally, internationally," said Brown, who met Gore on stage following the speech. "It doesn't get any more important."
By conservation, a reduction in emissions and political activism, a solution is possible, Gore said.
"The solutions are more accessible than people thought," he said. "We can do this."
The world's population explosion, which by 2050 will reach 9.1 billion, has increased the demand for energy, water and food, he said, and has contributed to the problem of global warming.
In 15 years, Gore said, there will be no more glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro. As for Glacier National Park in Montana, he said, "Within 20 years, this is the park that will be formerly known as Glacier." And the Rhone Glacier in Switzerland "is almost completely gone," he said.
He denounced critics who say global warming is not a serious threat.
"There are a lot of people, some in less responsible oil and utility companies, who say, 'Hey, what's the big deal,' " Gore said. "If we allow this to happen, it is deeply ethically immoral in every way."
He showed photos of rapidly melting glaciers in Antarctica and said that if half of Greenland and half of west Antarctica melted away, it would have a devastating effect on rising sea levels. Parts of Florida would be covered in water, he said. New Orleans would be virtually nonexistent and the future World Trade Center memorial in New York would be under water.
"Is it only terrorists that we're worried about? Is that the only threat that is worth our attention?" Gore said. "We are witnessing a collision between our civilization and the Earth."
When former Vice President Al Gore gave a long list of doom-and- gloom statistics Saturday about global warming -- warning people that rising sea levels could drown out parts of Florida, Louisiana and Manhattan -- there were no loud gasps or headshakes of disbelief from a roomful of Bay Area environmentalists.
At the World Environment Day conference in San Francisco -- a five-day U. N. gathering dedicated to adopting sound environmental practices for urban centers -- he was preaching to the choir.
"To an audience like this, Al Gore needs little introduction," Randy Hayes, founder of Rainforest Action Network, told the crowd before Gore took the stage for his keynote address.
Gore, who has made environmental activism a key component of his life since running for president in 2000, delivered an hourlong speech about climate change and global warming, which he called a "planetary emergency."
"We can't ignore it," he told the packed audience at the Fort Mason Center. "We can't put our heads in the sand."
When he wasn't presenting charts about rising levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere or speaking about the ways global warming rapidly sucks moisture out of the Earth's soil at high levels, he was, at times, uncharacteristically funny.
There were lots of strategically placed one-liners, even a cartoon skit about global warming based on "The Simpsons."
"I am Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States," he said to a laughing crowd. "I don't find that particularly funny."
He took a couple jabs at the Bush administration and even managed to squeeze in a political endorsement for Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, in his bid for state attorney general.
"We've got to organize politically, locally, internationally," said Brown, who met Gore on stage following the speech. "It doesn't get any more important."
By conservation, a reduction in emissions and political activism, a solution is possible, Gore said.
"The solutions are more accessible than people thought," he said. "We can do this."
The world's population explosion, which by 2050 will reach 9.1 billion, has increased the demand for energy, water and food, he said, and has contributed to the problem of global warming.
In 15 years, Gore said, there will be no more glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro. As for Glacier National Park in Montana, he said, "Within 20 years, this is the park that will be formerly known as Glacier." And the Rhone Glacier in Switzerland "is almost completely gone," he said.
He denounced critics who say global warming is not a serious threat.
"There are a lot of people, some in less responsible oil and utility companies, who say, 'Hey, what's the big deal,' " Gore said. "If we allow this to happen, it is deeply ethically immoral in every way."
He showed photos of rapidly melting glaciers in Antarctica and said that if half of Greenland and half of west Antarctica melted away, it would have a devastating effect on rising sea levels. Parts of Florida would be covered in water, he said. New Orleans would be virtually nonexistent and the future World Trade Center memorial in New York would be under water.
"Is it only terrorists that we're worried about? Is that the only threat that is worth our attention?" Gore said. "We are witnessing a collision between our civilization and the Earth."
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../06/05/GORE.TMP
Global warming called an emergency
When former Vice President Al Gore gave a long list of doom-and- gloom statistics Saturday about global warming -- warning people that rising sea levels could drown out parts of Florida, Louisiana and Manhattan -- there were no loud gasps or headshakes of disbelief from a roomful of Bay Area environmentalists.
At the World Environment Day conference in San Francisco -- a five-day U. N. gathering dedicated to adopting sound environmental practices for urban centers -- he was preaching to the choir.
"To an audience like this, Al Gore needs little introduction," Randy Hayes, founder of Rainforest Action Network, told the crowd before Gore took the stage for his keynote address.
Gore, who has made environmental activism a key component of his life since running for president in 2000, delivered an hourlong speech about climate change and global warming, which he called a "planetary emergency."
"We can't ignore it," he told the packed audience at the Fort Mason Center. "We can't put our heads in the sand."
When he wasn't presenting charts about rising levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere or speaking about the ways global warming rapidly sucks moisture out of the Earth's soil at high levels, he was, at times, uncharacteristically funny.
There were lots of strategically placed one-liners, even a cartoon skit about global warming based on "The Simpsons."
"I am Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States," he said to a laughing crowd. "I don't find that particularly funny."
He took a couple jabs at the Bush administration and even managed to squeeze in a political endorsement for Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, in his bid for state attorney general.
"We've got to organize politically, locally, internationally," said Brown, who met Gore on stage following the speech. "It doesn't get any more important."
By conservation, a reduction in emissions and political activism, a solution is possible, Gore said.
"The solutions are more accessible than people thought," he said. "We can do this."
The world's population explosion, which by 2050 will reach 9.1 billion, has increased the demand for energy, water and food, he said, and has contributed to the problem of global warming.
In 15 years, Gore said, there will be no more glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro. As for Glacier National Park in Montana, he said, "Within 20 years, this is the park that will be formerly known as Glacier." And the Rhone Glacier in Switzerland "is almost completely gone," he said.
He denounced critics who say global warming is not a serious threat.
"There are a lot of people, some in less responsible oil and utility companies, who say, 'Hey, what's the big deal,' " Gore said. "If we allow this to happen, it is deeply ethically immoral in every way."
He showed photos of rapidly melting glaciers in Antarctica and said that if half of Greenland and half of west Antarctica melted away, it would have a devastating effect on rising sea levels. Parts of Florida would be covered in water, he said. New Orleans would be virtually nonexistent and the future World Trade Center memorial in New York would be under water.
"Is it only terrorists that we're worried about? Is that the only threat that is worth our attention?" Gore said. "We are witnessing a collision between our civilization and the Earth."
When former Vice President Al Gore gave a long list of doom-and- gloom statistics Saturday about global warming -- warning people that rising sea levels could drown out parts of Florida, Louisiana and Manhattan -- there were no loud gasps or headshakes of disbelief from a roomful of Bay Area environmentalists.
At the World Environment Day conference in San Francisco -- a five-day U. N. gathering dedicated to adopting sound environmental practices for urban centers -- he was preaching to the choir.
"To an audience like this, Al Gore needs little introduction," Randy Hayes, founder of Rainforest Action Network, told the crowd before Gore took the stage for his keynote address.
Gore, who has made environmental activism a key component of his life since running for president in 2000, delivered an hourlong speech about climate change and global warming, which he called a "planetary emergency."
"We can't ignore it," he told the packed audience at the Fort Mason Center. "We can't put our heads in the sand."
When he wasn't presenting charts about rising levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere or speaking about the ways global warming rapidly sucks moisture out of the Earth's soil at high levels, he was, at times, uncharacteristically funny.
There were lots of strategically placed one-liners, even a cartoon skit about global warming based on "The Simpsons."
"I am Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States," he said to a laughing crowd. "I don't find that particularly funny."
He took a couple jabs at the Bush administration and even managed to squeeze in a political endorsement for Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, in his bid for state attorney general.
"We've got to organize politically, locally, internationally," said Brown, who met Gore on stage following the speech. "It doesn't get any more important."
By conservation, a reduction in emissions and political activism, a solution is possible, Gore said.
"The solutions are more accessible than people thought," he said. "We can do this."
The world's population explosion, which by 2050 will reach 9.1 billion, has increased the demand for energy, water and food, he said, and has contributed to the problem of global warming.
In 15 years, Gore said, there will be no more glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro. As for Glacier National Park in Montana, he said, "Within 20 years, this is the park that will be formerly known as Glacier." And the Rhone Glacier in Switzerland "is almost completely gone," he said.
He denounced critics who say global warming is not a serious threat.
"There are a lot of people, some in less responsible oil and utility companies, who say, 'Hey, what's the big deal,' " Gore said. "If we allow this to happen, it is deeply ethically immoral in every way."
He showed photos of rapidly melting glaciers in Antarctica and said that if half of Greenland and half of west Antarctica melted away, it would have a devastating effect on rising sea levels. Parts of Florida would be covered in water, he said. New Orleans would be virtually nonexistent and the future World Trade Center memorial in New York would be under water.
"Is it only terrorists that we're worried about? Is that the only threat that is worth our attention?" Gore said. "We are witnessing a collision between our civilization and the Earth."
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../06/05/GORE.TMP