Averting the climate crisis - Al Gore

Summary

In this engaging speech, the speaker reflects on his experiences post-White House, humorously recounting the adjustment to a more private life. He emphasizes the urgency of the climate crisis, presenting updated data and visual aids to illustrate the severity. The speaker outlines actionable steps individuals and businesses can take, such as reducing emissions, buying green energy, and investing sustainably. He also calls for political activism to support carbon capping and trading, urging a collective effort to address global warming as a non-partisan issue.

Takeaways

• 🙌 The speaker expresses gratitude for the opportunity to address the conference and acknowledges the positive reception of his previous speech.
• 🚗 He shares a personal anecdote about adjusting to life post-White House, highlighting the contrast between his previous and current lifestyle.
• 🍔 A humorous story is told about being recognized in a low-cost restaurant, which later led to a misreported news story about him opening a restaurant.
• 🌍 The speaker discusses the climate crisis, emphasizing the importance of reducing carbon emissions and the role of individuals and businesses in addressing the issue.
• 🏡 He points out that buildings contribute more to global warming pollution than cars and trucks, underscoring the need for efficiency in all sectors.
• ⚡ The potential of renewable energy and carbon capture technology is highlighted as crucial for mitigating climate change.
• 🌿 Practical steps for individuals are suggested, such as reducing emissions at home, buying green electricity, and considering carbon offsets.
• 💼 The speaker encourages businesses to become carbon neutral and integrate climate solutions into their innovations.
• 💡 He calls for a shift in investment strategies to prioritize long-term sustainability over short-term gains.
• 🗣️ There's a call to action for the audience to become catalysts for change, teaching others about the climate crisis and advocating for political and societal shifts.
• 🌱 The speaker concludes by emphasizing the need for a collective effort to address the climate crisis, suggesting that it's not just a political issue but a moral and practical one.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial reaction to the conference and the audience's response?

The speaker expressed extreme gratitude and was blown away by the conference. They also sincerely appreciated the nice comments about their previous speech.

Why did the speaker mention flying on Air Force 2 for 8 years?

The speaker mentioned flying on Air Force 2 to highlight the contrast between their previous lifestyle with the privileges of being a vice president and their current, more ordinary life.

What was the 'phantom limb' analogy referring to?

The 'phantom limb' analogy was used to describe the speaker's feeling of missing the motorcade and the attention that came with their former position.

Why did the speaker and Tipper drive themselves to a farm after leaving the White House?

They drove themselves to experience a more normal life and to enjoy the freedom of not having a motorcade or the usual entourage that came with their previous roles.

What was the story about Shy's restaurant meant to illustrate?

The story was meant to illustrate the drastic change in the speaker's life after leaving office, going from a high-profile position to being recognized and discussed by ordinary people in a low-cost family restaurant.

Why did the speaker decide to tell the Shy's restaurant story in Nigeria?

The speaker wanted to share a personal and relatable story to connect with the audience and to highlight the universality of the experience of change in status.

What was the misunderstanding about the speaker's speech in Nigeria that led to humorous reactions?

There was a misreporting that the speaker and his wife had opened a low-cost family restaurant named Shony, which led to jokes and humorous reactions from talk show hosts and the public.

What did the speaker initially plan to talk about at the conference, and why did they change the topic?

The speaker initially planned to talk about information ecology but changed the topic to discuss the climate crisis, as it was a more pressing concern expressed by the conference attendees.

What are some of the actionable steps the speaker suggested to combat the climate crisis?

The speaker suggested reducing emissions in homes, buying green electricity, considering carbon-neutral living, making businesses carbon neutral, integrating climate solutions into innovations, investing sustainably, and becoming a catalyst for change.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of efficiency and conservation in energy use?

The speaker emphasizes efficiency and conservation because they are profitable investments that pay for themselves and effectively reduce the contribution to global warming.

What is the significance of the speaker's call for a mass persuasion campaign?

The speaker calls for a mass persuasion campaign to change public opinion on climate change, as politicians currently do not have the public's permission to take the necessary actions to address the crisis.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Reflecting on Public Life and Climate Change

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to address the audience and reflects on the conference's impact. They share a personal anecdote about adjusting to life after the White House, highlighting the drastic change from flying on Air Force 2 to driving a rented car. A humorous story is told about being recognized in a low-cost restaurant, leading to a misreported news story about them opening a restaurant. The speaker transitions to discuss the climate crisis, emphasizing the importance of taking action and the need for a collective effort to address the issue.

05:00

🌡️ Tackling Climate Crisis with Actionable Solutions

The speaker delves into the climate crisis, presenting updated data on temperature records and emphasizing the urgency of the situation. They discuss various strategies to reduce emissions, such as improving energy efficiency, transitioning to renewable energy sources, and adopting carbon capture technologies. The audience is encouraged to take personal responsibility by reducing emissions in their homes, making green consumer choices, and considering carbon neutrality. The speaker also suggests integrating climate solutions into business practices and investing sustainably.

10:03

🌿 Becoming Carbon Neutral and Driving Change

The speaker provides practical advice on how individuals and businesses can become carbon neutral, including using a carbon calculator to measure and offset emissions. They announce plans to train people to deliver a slideshow on the climate crisis, which will be regularly updated. The speaker calls for political activism, advocating for capping carbon dioxide emissions and supporting market-based solutions. They stress the need for a mass persuasion campaign to change public opinion and empower politicians to take necessary action on climate change.

15:03

🌱 Uniting for a Sustainable Future

In the final paragraph, the speaker calls for unity and collective action, emphasizing that the climate crisis is not a political issue but a human one. They encourage the audience to use their influence to bring about change, regardless of political affiliation. The speaker suggests rebranding global warming as 'climate crisis' to better convey the urgency of the situation. They conclude by thanking the audience and expressing hope for a coherent and unified approach to solving the climate crisis.

Keywords

💡Climate Crisis

The term 'Climate Crisis' refers to the critical situation of global warming and its resulting environmental changes. In the video, Al Gore emphasizes the urgency of addressing this crisis by discussing the impacts of global warming and the need for immediate action. He uses the term to rally support for measures to reduce carbon emissions and to encourage individuals to live carbon-neutral lives.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency, in the context of the video, pertains to the optimal use of resources, particularly energy. Al Gore discusses how improving efficiency in electricity usage and other forms of energy can significantly reduce global warming pollution. He presents efficiency as a 'low-hanging fruit,' suggesting that it is an achievable and profitable first step in combating climate change.

💡Renewables

Renewables refer to energy sources that are naturally replenished, such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power. In the video, Al Gore highlights the potential of renewable energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, which are major contributors to global warming. He mentions that with technological advancements, the role of renewables in the energy mix can grow rapidly, thus mitigating the climate crisis.

💡Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is a process that involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere or directly from industrial sources and storing them underground to prevent them from entering the atmosphere. Al Gore refers to CCS as a potential 'killer app' for continuing the use of fossil fuels in a safer manner, although he notes that the technology is not yet fully mature.

💡Carbon Neutral

Being 'carbon neutral' means balancing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or by reducing emissions to net-zero. Al Gore encourages individuals and businesses to strive for carbon neutrality, which involves reducing one's carbon footprint through various means and offsetting the remaining emissions.

💡Carbon Offsets

Carbon offsets are a form of compensation for carbon dioxide emissions made by investing in projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere. In the video, Al Gore suggests that individuals can purchase offsets for the carbon emissions they cannot eliminate, thereby contributing to a net reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

💡Global Warming Pollution

Global warming pollution refers to the release of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming. Al Gore discusses the sources of these emissions, such as cars, trucks, and buildings, and emphasizes the need to reduce them to mitigate the climate crisis.

💡Phantom Limb Pain

Phantom limb pain is a term used to describe the sensation of pain in a limb that has been amputated. Al Gore uses this metaphor to describe his feeling of loss and adjustment after leaving the White House, where he no longer had the same level of protection and attention. This anecdote serves to humanize him and to illustrate the drastic changes in his life circumstances.

💡Cap and Trade

Cap and trade is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. Al Gore suggests supporting the idea of capping carbon dioxide emissions and trading them as a way to involve the market in solving the climate crisis, making it a more bipartisan and economically viable solution.

💡Mass Persuasion Campaign

A mass persuasion campaign refers to a large-scale effort to influence public opinion or behavior, often through media and advertising. Al Gore mentions the need for such a campaign to change the mindset of the American people regarding climate change, as a means to gain political support for necessary actions to address the crisis.

💡Bipartisan Issue

A bipartisan issue is one that transcends political party lines and is supported by members of multiple parties. Al Gore emphasizes that the climate crisis should be viewed as a bipartisan issue, requiring the cooperation and support of individuals from all political affiliations to effectively address the problem.

Highlights

Speaker expresses gratitude for the opportunity to address the conference for the second time.

Speaker shares a personal anecdote about adjusting to life post-White House, highlighting the change in lifestyle.

A humorous story is told about being recognized in a low-cost family restaurant, illustrating a shift in public perception.

Miscommunication leads to a humorous media mix-up about the speaker opening a restaurant, showcasing the speed of misinformation.

Speaker emphasizes the importance of efficiency and conservation in energy use, framing it as a profitable investment.

The speaker points out that buildings contribute more to global warming pollution than cars and trucks.

Speaker discusses the potential of renewable energy to make a significant difference in combating climate change.

Carbon capture and sequestration is introduced as a 'killer app' for safe fossil fuel use.

Speaker outlines practical steps individuals can take to reduce emissions in their homes.

The concept of living a carbon-neutral life is introduced, with a call for branding suggestions to make it more relatable.

Speaker encourages businesses to become carbon neutral and integrate climate solutions into their innovations.

The importance of sustainable investing is discussed, linking it to long-term business success.

Speaker announces a plan to train individuals to give the slideshow presentation in communities across the country.

A call to action for political engagement on climate issues, emphasizing the need for bipartisan support.

Speaker suggests a mass persuasion campaign to change public opinion on climate change, as a precursor to political action.

The speaker concludes with a reflection on the importance of the human capacity for reason and action in addressing the climate crisis.

Transcripts

thank you so much Chris and it's uh it's

uh truly a great honor to have the

opportunity to come to this stage twice

I'm extremely grateful I have been blown

away by this conference and I want to

thank all of you for the the many um

nice comments about what I had to say

the the other night and I and I say that

sincerely partly because I need

that put yourselves in my

position I flew on Air Force 2 for 8

years now I have to take off my shoes or

boots to get on an

airplane I'll tell you one quick story

to

illustrate what that's been like for

me this a true story every bit of this

is true soon after Tipper and I left the

White House I

we were driving from our home in

Nashville to a little farm we have 50 Mi

east of

Nashville driving

ourselves I know that sounds like a

little thing to you

but I

uh I looked in the rear view mirror

and uh all of a sudden it just hit me

there was no motorcade back

there you've heard of phantom limb

pain

this this was a rented Ford

Taurus uh it was dinner time and we

started looking for a place to eat uh we

were on I40 we got to uh exit 238

Lebanon Tennessee we got off the exit

started looking we found to shon's

restaurant lowcost family restaurant

chain for those of you who don't know it

we went in and sat down at the booth and

the waitress came over uh made a big

commotion over

Tipper she took our order and then went

to the couple in the booth next to us

and she lowered her voice so much I had

to really strain to hear what she was

saying and she said yes that's former

vice president Al Gore and his wife

Tipper and the man said he's come down a

long way hasn't

he there's been kind of a series of

epiphanies the very next day continuing

a totally true story I got on a G5 to

fly to Africa to make a speech in

Nigeria in the city of Lagos on the

topic of energy and and I began the

speech by telling them the story of what

had just happened the day before in

Nashville and I told it pretty much the

same way I've just shared it with you uh

Tipper and I were driving ourselves

Shy's lowcost Family Restaurant CH what

the man said they

laughed uh I gave my speech then went

back out to the airport to fly back home

I fell asleep on the plane until during

the middle of the night we landed on the

Azor islands for refueling I woke up

they opened the door I went out to get

some fresh air and looked and there was

a man running across the

runway and he was waving a piece of

paper and he was yelling call Washington

call

Washington and I thought to myself the

middle of the night middle of the

Atlantic what in the world could be

wrong in Washington I remembered it

could be a bunch of

things

and but but what it turned out to be was

that my staff was extremely upset

because a u one of the wire services in

Nigeria had already written a story

about my speech and it had already been

printed in cities all across the United

States of America was printed in Montery

I

checked uh and the story began former

vice president alore announced in

Nigeria yesterday quote my wife Tipper

and I have opened a lowcost family

restaurant named shony and we are

running it

ourselves before I could get back to us

soil David Letterman and Jay Leno had

already started in on one of them had me

in a big white chef's hat Tipper was

saying one more burger with

fries 3 days later I got a nice long

handwritten letter from my friend and

partner and colleague Bill Clinton

saying congratulations on the new

restaurant out

we like to celebrate each other's

successes in

life um was going to talk about

information

ecology but I was thinking that uh since

I plan to make a lifelong habit of

coming back to Ted that maybe I could

talk about that another

time it's a deal okay

I want to

focus on what many of you have said you

would like me to elaborate on what can

you

do about the climate

crisis uh I I want to start with a

couple of I'm going to show some new

images and I'm going to

recapitulate just a uh four or five now

oh the slideshow I I update the

slideshow every time I give it I add new

images because I learn more about it

every time I give it uh it's like beach

combing you know every time the tide

comes in and out you find some more

shells uh just in the last two days we

got the new uh temperature records in

January this is just for the United

States of America historical average for

January is 31° last month was

39.5 de now I know that you wanted some

more bad news about the environment I'm

kidding

uh but these are the

recapitulation slides and then I'm going

to go into new material about what you

can do but I wanted to elaborate on a

couple of these uh first of all this is

where we're projected to go with the US

contribution to global warming under

business as usual efficiency in

use electricity and inuse of all energy

is the lwh hanging fruit efficiency and

conservation it's not a cost it's a

profit the sign is wrong it's not

negative it's positive these are

investments that pay for themselves but

they are also very effective in

deflecting our

path cars and trucks I talked about that

in the slideshow but I want you to put

it in

perspective it's an easy

visible Target of concern and it should

be but there is more global warming

pollution that comes from buildings than

from cars and trucks cars and trucks are

very significant and we have the lowest

standards in the world and so we should

address that but it's part of the puzzle

other transportation is efficiency is as

important as cars and trucks Renewables

at the current levels of technological

efficiency can make this much difference

and with what venod and some uh and uh

John door and others many of you here a

lot of people directly involved in this

this wedge is going to grow much more

rapidly than the current projection

shows it carbon capture and

sequestration that's what

CCS stands for is likely to become the

killer

app uh that will enable us to continue

to use fossil fuels in a way that is

safe not quite there yet okay now uh

what can you do

reduce emissions in your

home most of these expenditures are also

profitable insulation better design buy

green electricity where where you can I

mentioned

automobiles buy a hybrid use light

rail figure out some of the other

options that are much better it's

important be a green consumer you have

choices with everything you bu between

things that have a harsh effect or a

much less harsh effect on the on the

global climate crisis consider this make

a decision to live a carbon neutral life

those of you who are good at branding

I'd love to get your advice and help on

how to say this in a way that connects

uh with the most people it is easier

than you think it really is uh a lot of

us in here have made that decision and

it is really pretty easy it means it

means reduce your carbon dioxide

emissions with the full range of choices

that you make and then purchase or

acquire offsets for the remainder that

you have not completely reduced and what

what it means is elaborated at climate

crisis .n net there is a carbon

calculator uh participant Productions

convened uh with with my active

involvement the leading software writers

in the world on this Arcane science of

carbon calculation to construct a

consumer friendly carbon calculator you

can you can very precisely calculate

what your CO2 emissions are and then you

uh you will be given options to reduce

and in by the time the movie comes out

in May this will be updated to 2.0 and

we will have click through purchases of

offsets next consider making your

business carbon neutral again some of us

have done that and it's not as hard as

you

think integrate climate Solutions into

all of your Innovations whether you are

from the technology or entertainment or

design and architecture Community invest

sustainably Majora mentioned this listen

if you have invested money with managers

who you compensate on the basis of their

annual performance don't ever again

complain about quarterly report CEO

management over time people do what you

pay them to

do and if they judge how much they're

going to get paid on your uh your your

Capital that they invested based on the

short-term returns you're going to get

short-term

decisions a lot more to be said about

that become a catalyst of change teach

others learn about it talk about

it the movie comes out the movie is a

movie version of the slideshow that I

gave two nights ago except it's a lot

more

entertaining and it comes out in May

many of you here have the opportunity to

ensure that a lot of people see it

consider sending

somebody to

Nashville pick

well and I am personally going to train

people to give this slideshow repurposed

with some of the personal stories

obviously replaced with a generic

approach and it's it's not just the

slides it's what they mean and it's how

they link together and so uh I'm going

to be conducting a course this summer

for a group of people that are nominated

by different folks to come and then give

it in mass in communities all across the

country and we're going to update the

the slideshow for all of them every

single week to keep it right on the

Cutting Edge working with Larry leig it

it will be at somewhere in that process

posted with tools and limited use uh uh

copyrights so that young people can

remix it uh and use and and do it in

their own way

where did anybody get the idea that you

ought to stay arms length from politics

it doesn't mean that I'm trying to con

if you're a republican that I'm trying

to convince you to be a Democrat we need

Republicans as well this ought used to

be a bipartisan issue and and I know

that in this group it really is become

politically active make our democracy

work the way it's supposed to work

support the idea of capping carbon

dioxide emissions global warming

pollution and trading it here's why as

long as the United States is out of the

world system it's not a closed system

once it becomes a closed system with us

participation then everybody who's on a

board of direct how many people here

serves serve on the board of directors

of a

corporation once it's a closed system

you will have legal liability if you do

not urge your CEO to get the maximum

income from reducing and trading the

carbon emissions that can be avoided the

Market will work to solve this

problem if if we can accomplish

this help with a mass persuasion

campaign that will start this spring we

have to change the minds of the American

people because presently the politicians

do not have permission to do what needs

to to be done and in our modern country

the role of logic and reason no long no

longer includes mediating between wealth

and power the way it once did it's now

repetition of short hot button 30 second

28c television ads we have to buy a lot

of those

ads let's Rebrand global

warming as many of you have suggested I

like climate crisis instead of climate

collapse but again those of you who are

good at branding I need your help on

this somebody said the test we're facing

now a scientist told me is whether the

combination of an opposable thumb and a

neocortex is a viable combination

it that's really

true I said the other night and I'll

repeat now this is not a political issue

again the Republicans

here this this shouldn't be partisan you

have more influence than some of us who

are Democrats do this is an opportunity

not just this but connected to the ideas

that are here to bring more coherence to

them We Are One

thank you very much I appreciate