Al Gore: "The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-01-31/al-gore-future-six-drivers-global-change
Al Gore believes we are at the dawn of a new future. The former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee claims we’re living in a time of revolutionary change unmatched in history. In a new book, he says we’re racing toward a future that is both complicated and different from anything we’ve seen before. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has identified what he believes are six forces remaking the world, from economic globalization to the digital revolution to -- no surprise here –- climate change. The self-identified “recovering politician” joins Diane to talk about the changes facing our world and his vision for the future.
Guests
Al Gore
Former U. S. Vice President and co-founder and chairman of Generation Investment Management. He’s also a recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change.
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Video: Inside The Studio
Al Gore addressed questions about the 2000 presidential campaign, including whether he and Tipper Gore would still be married if he had won the election. Gore cleared up a common misconception and said he requested a full recount of Florida's votes. The request, Gore says, was denied by the state's governor, who "had a point of view in that race." Gore also talked about how he felt when Bush v. Gore was awarded in favor of President George W. Bush. "Well, you can imagine, it was a surprise," Gore said about the high court's decision. "Some expected it. I felt they were being too cynical. I really felt there was an excellent chance that it would go the other way, but it didn't."
Gore discusses the reinvention of life and death thanks to innovations in DNA. He gives an example in which scientists were able to splice genes from orb-weaver spiders into goats, who then secreted silk from their udders along with milk. Gore said many people describe these genetic mutations, though valuable, as "creepy." Diane pointed out that many people call Gore "wonky," to which he replied, "I plead guilty to being a wonky wannabe geek."
Gore addressed a caller's statement that Sept. 11 could have been prevented had the FAA and intelligence agencies adopted the recommendations of the aviation safety commission that Gore headed while in office. One of the suggestions included a system to automatically catch people on FAA watch lists before they boarded an airplane. "Not many people know what your caller has just said, but it is actually the case. If the recommendations of that commission had been implemented, it would have almost certainly prevented the ability of those hijackers to get on the plane," Gore said.
Read An Excerpt
Excerpted from "The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change" by Al Gore. Copyright © 2013 by Al Gore. Excerpted by permission of Random House, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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"A deeply flawed economic compass" (outdated capitalist ideas about property) is the core idea of Gore's newest writings and of this overall crisis of extinction. Jerry Mander said pretty much the same thing in "Capitalist Papers : Fatal Flaws of an Obsolete System." A close examination reveals Gore as a caring person rooted in the 20th Century unable to let go of old security blankets and with an unfounded faith in profit motivated science and technology. No doubt his words are comforting to older persons and those with authoritarian tendencies. When a person clings to status by chairmanship of the New Generation Investment Fund that might be a negative indicator of their leadership. (Silver spoon boys like Gore and John Kerry are passe'.) The bolder younger concerned activist looks at our outdated Constitution now negated by transnational finances and elite trade agreements, at the Frankenscience that produces shocks rather than relief, at the Arab Spring and Occupy where majority needs are always submerged in defense of maladaptive institutions and moneyed interests. I look locally at NC where a Duke Energy governor has just been inaugurated with the help of a rich right wing extremist who is now his chief of staff (brain). His first acts were to criticize the humanities and social sciences at the university level (no critical thought) and to meet with a football billionaire to promise $65 million of tax revenues for better skyboxes and climate controls in his Charlotte stadium. It is the recipients of unemployment benefits he proposes who now must pay for fund deficits accrued in the Recession. If our leadership operates at such a level of Phillistine delusion we have no prospects except scarcity and chaos as we are excoriated by Oligarchs. Bill Clinton and Al Gore used to talk down to us, making speeches appropriate for 7th grade student council elections. That time is gone. Proposing halfway measures as Gore does is futile and at best fosters false hopes.
One question today + one rhetorical question.
#1 Please ask Al Gore what his plans are for that 100 million $'s in Al Jezerra oil money?.
#2 Is there a bigger windbag on the planet?
I grew up with 4 amusement parks within an hour of home. The 3 that did NOT maintain their facility are out of business. The ONE that hired young people to walk around with wisk brooms and dust pans and clean,is still open today. The ONE park that invested in a beach cleaner is still open today.The one that reinvested in itself is still here. I don`t know who began this policy,but I know people like CLEAN. CLEAN is good for business and the environment. SQUALOR AND FILTH are parts of pollution.Who needs it or wants it? I come from Cleveland where our Cuyahoga River burned. The river caught fire,BEFORE,the EPA was created.You can take a boat ride down the river still today,and still see the residue left by the abandoned steel mills and chemical plants decades before.The same contamination is`still there today,for the taxpayers to clean up. Isn`t that on the government teat? Isn`t that wanting something from the government?
Dan D. wrote:
"#2 Is there a bigger windbag on the planet?"
Have you noticed that the richer Gore gets the fatter he gets?
Even Matt Lauer wouldn't let him off the hook and if you can't out-interview Matt Lauer, you know you've got to pretty scummy. Even the left is beginning to see through this charlatan.
Diane, First, thanks for a great show and having Al Gore on.
I would like to hear his thoughts on what we must do to adapt and be more resilient in the face of climate change given that we are likely to experience significant impacts as our political system seems incapable of responding in any meaningful way, and certainly not in time. I am not a fatalist, but given the realities, we should be preparing. Also, any idea on the cost to adapt to significant changes in our climate?
Diane, First, thanks for a great show and having Al Gore on.
I would like to hear his thoughts on what we must do to adapt and be more resilient in the face of climate change given that we are likely to experience significant impacts as our political system seems incapable of responding in any meaningful way, and certainly not in time. I am not a fatalist, but given the realities, we should be preparing. Also, any idea on the cost to adapt to significant changes in our climate?
I'm actually looking forward to this show. Normally, I would not give him the time of day, but the topic sounds interesting.
I was watching O'Reilley last night and he made a bet with someone that Gore won't sell 20K of his books. I think I'd take that bet.
For lack of a better way to put it, I think Gore is on to something ... but not what he thinks. He is reflecting the fact that the world is becoming smaller and more interdependent and in many ways, more homogeneous. I'm sure he sees that as a good thing (we'll find out). I don't.
I know that the editors of this Comment board have a rough time determining whether they should let a Comment stand, but I must say, it breaks my heart to see that some people waste space on vitriol and ad hominem attacks.
The six factors are at least worth a review. However, they are so broad and so beyond the oversight of global overseers, that the question is begged, "What can a simple American citizen do in the face of all this power and money?"
Items that could be addressed by a municipal board or even a state board is now so global London UK may have more to say about it than London, KY. Witness the recent deal where the U.S. gave an American manufacturer of electric car batteries $ 129 million to develop the batteries. China, who subsidizes their companies, is approved to then buy A123 -- the battery manufacturer. My tax dollar which could have been used to grow American jobs, is now, through a trick by China, going to be used to grow Chinese jobs.
Yet, the loss of American jobs is exacerbated through the loss of those jobs AND the ripping off of our taxpayer dollars to do it. That scenario falls under Gore's description of "The emergence of a deeply interconnected global economy ..."
Great that he has identified the six factors -- so now what are we supposed to do with them?
Kathleen Rand Reed
I like Al Gore even though he is the biggest hypocrite in human history. If I had the chance to build a house, I would make it as green as possible. I wouldn't build energy-guzzling mansions all over. I live a greener life than the guy who vacuums out his private jet.
So far, same old, same old.
Of course Gore ignores the Norway study released this week that concludes:
“It’s appropriate to jump off a ship when it begins to take on water,” Michaels said, “If you look at the monthly temperature anomalies from the University of East Anglia you see no significant trend in any direction going back to the fall of 1996 which would put us at 17 years of no trend.”
Nor does he address the UEA emails recommending to "hide the decline".
I repeat (and repeat and repeat and repeat), Global Climate Change (formerly Global Warming, formerly Global Cooling) is not about temperature changes AT ALL. It is about control.
Gore should double check the light area on those nightime earth photos to make sure that rather than coming from a fracking site they're not coming from his house in Tennessee.
My main concern about wind power is the huge number of bird deaths, especially but not only during migration. We know a lot, primarily through the American Bird Conservancy's work, about how to locate and operate windfarms to minimize bird deaths, but nobody seems to be listening. Why not?
Is there any progress in using localized power created thru small gas turbines and/or cogeneration? It seems efficient, easily adapted, and perfect for using the new glut of natural gas.
Charlatans get to solo for an entire hour on this taxpayer funded farce. I just heard him say how much the price and cost of solar and other renewables have fallen. Orders of magnitude further than anybody could have ever dreamed. That's great! We don't need any legislation because we all want clean energy and if the cost just keeps falling we can all march forward to happy sunlit uplands. The problem is that this is an alternate universe than the one we have to live in. We can HOPE that he's not pulling our legs but that won't CHANGE a thing.
Just because Gore doesn't have all the details filled in in this book is not a reason to discard it. Even at this flyover-scale, people are still denying climate change. Others will have to figure out the best way to implement these ideas; they already are, in many fields and many labs. Gore is fighting the big-picture fight.
I would like Mr. Gore to address the concept of the environment and ecosystems having rights that should be protected. Also, if he could comment on the oil/gas industry , through control of state legislators, being able to take away local communities residents constitutional rights to decide or control the industrialization of their neighborhoods? If corporations are given the same rights of "personhood", shouldn't ecosystems also be given the same rights?
katereed wrote: " it breaks my heart to see that some people waste space on vitriol and ad hominem attacks"
Considering Al Gore admits lying is OK to push his agenda, attacks upon his character and his contentions is justifiable. Labeling opinions as ad hominem attacks in this case probably fall short of actual ad hominem attacks. Al Gore has over the years shown himself to be a severely flawed individual.
"In the United States of America, unfortunately we still live in a bubble of unreality. And the Category 5 denial is an enormous obstacle to any discussion of solutions. Nobody is interested in solutions if they don't think there's a problem. Given that starting point, I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous (global warming) is, as a predicate for opening up the audience to listen to what the solutions are, and how hopeful it is that we are going to solve this crisis." -- Al Gore
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I hate to ask this, but could you ask Mr. Gore to comment on the possibility and the consequences of enviro-terrorism aimed at leading governmental and corporate polluters, something which I fear may be inevitable if and as the effects of inaction on climate change become more dramatic?
I realize you already spoke about energy but I am curious how does Mr. Gore
incorporate energy savings and limiting his carbon footprint into his own personal life?
Thank you
Cynthia
The question is begged all right. Begging the question is exactly what is going on here.
Please ask gore how he researches and writes such a profound book with profound thoughts. DOes he do the research on his own? It seems that it would need a team of experts to write such a book.
Katereed: Yes the question is begged. Begging the question is the perfect description of what we're given here. And it's only natural that you should call for silencing the critics. Global overseers??????? Your last question is what begs for the proper response.
I am concerned about the corruption and deterioration of the rule of law in this country.
This country is not capable of any kind of large, concerted action, because there is too much corruption. I do not have faith in either political party- they are only concerned about their own survival.
I am in my thirties and I pay taxes but I have no faith in our political or 'justice' systems. If things do not change this government will be unable to do anything because no one will trust them.
Global warming is going to end up destroying modern human civilization- but at least 1% of mankind will get to live richly before the end.
I'm a registerd Democrat and I've been over Mr. Gore for a while now. And what I hear on this show validates my opinion that he allowed to say whatever he wants and it goes unchallenged. Case in point: his repetition of the current meme that the light in ND shown in the satellite photo is due to gas flaring.
Here's what NASA says the photo shows:
"On November 12, 2012, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime view of widespread drilling throughout the area. Most of the bright specks are lights associated with drilling equipment and temporary housing near drilling sites, though a few are evidence of gas flaring. Some of the brighter areas correspond to towns and cities including Williston, Minot, and Dickinson." (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=79810)
Mr. Gore had his platform and abused it by making unsupportable statements (remember his famous presentation where ignored the data that shows that CO2 does not drive temperature?).
Please lets be done with Mr. Gore.
I have always valued the Diane Rehm for its intelligent, balanced reporting. Thus I was shocked this morning when I heard Diane ask a question of the type that I consider "tabloid TV". She asked Al Gore, "How did you feel, deep inside, about (in essence, losing the presidential election)? She followed that with a probing question about his divorce.
These questions are beneath the dignity of her usual practice.
Shirley in St. Louis
WillT26 wrote:
"Global warming is going to end up destroying modern human civilization"
You may be right, but not in the way that you think.
In the face of global climate change, which will result in the deaths of hundreds of millions of people, there can be no such thing as 'enviro-terrorism.' If someone is creating the conditions to destroy you and your family you have the right to protect yourself.
Trying to stop 'leading governmental and corporate polluters' is, in actuality, self-defense. Maybe forty years ago it could be characterized as 'terrorism' but we are way past that point now.
As far as I am concerned any actions that result in lower CO2 emissions are justified.
In what way do I think climate change is going to destroy human civlization? Please let me know. I have a good idea of what I meant but I am curious if you can read my mind.
Thank you for having Al Gore on the show. I find him to be always thought provoking. I must say, however, that I listened & waited through the entire interview for the discussion on his book to begin in earnest but Diane instead wanted to discuss yet again the lost election & other areas of personal interest to her rather than the the topic advertised, for which I tuned in, & I suspect why her guest agreed to appear on the show. Frustrating!
@ WillT26: lower CO2 emissions could be acheived by limiting the speaking time of blowhard hypocrites like Al Gore.... and if he says "mmmm" one more time...
- born with an oil covered silver spoon in his mouth
- has a larger personal carbon footprint than the whole state of Texas
- profited by the sale of Current to oil Czars
- has -0- knowledge of fracking as witnessed by what he said today on this program
- was more than willing to displace native tribes to further oil & gas exploration to line his own pockets.
All of this makes me want to say the same thing he does all the time...."MMMMMMM"