http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...climate-change

Is he after another Nobel Prize?

What have you done for science, technology, and humanity lately?

One might ask the same of you or any other member of the EF for that matter. In any event, the subject of the thread is Mr Al Gore and his chosen apparently specialised subject, not me.

His specialty was being a politician. What's your point exactly?

I don't think he's chasing fame, I think he really believes in the problem of climate change. Unfortunately, few will listen until it's too late and people start dying of thirst and hunger and major weather events. I wish it weren't all so political as it really would be a good thing to think about what the future will be like in the event that these extreme weather events become more frequent and more severe (it's possible Russia's grain crop will be scorched again this year).

I often wonder what kind of world my daughter will be living in when she's 40 and I try not to worry that food scarcity and drought will make life much harder for her.

This wunderground blog, http://www.wunderground.com/blog/Jef...?entrynum=1831 , has a rather impressive list of events recently, some I didn't even know about.

Sorry if my previous reply sounded a little antagonistic, it wasn't intended to be in a personal way. My point was that I find it interesting that a person whose speciality is being a politician suddenly rediscovers himself in some sort of messiah or John the Baptist role, proclaiming the coming of destruction for all. It's rather like Bono appointing himself as spokesman for the poor and needy of the world, I don't mind some of U2's music but I can't stand Bono, I wish he'd stick to what he's supposed to be good at meaning being a succesful popstar doesn't necessarily qualify you to speak about international finance or world poverty problems*. Back on Al Gore, given the round kicking that some of the evidence in his previous film suffered you have to admire his stamina in coming back for more.
More indirectly, I find the topic interesting enough to warrant some debate - although I do also recognise that the topic has been done to death several times already and it's quite possible that the EF has heard enough of it already.
Cheers

* I do of course realise that being a public figure such as Bono does provide a grandstand opportunity

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Mens sana in campari soda

Of course he is altruistic.
Plus please note this quote from several newspapers in 2009;
"Al Gore, the former US vice president, could become the world's first carbon billionaire after investing heavily in green energy companies."

That would be the Ethanol industry with their massive tax rebates

Possibly. On a similar note - not Ethanol though, let's not mention how Biofuels might be a massive dead end anyway given how large areas of food capable growing land is now devoted to growing crops for biofuels. Apart from rumours about Russian soldiers in World War II I'm unaware of anyone actually quenching their thirst by drinking fuel.