My ally is reality as well. That's why I agree with Mr. Gore that a grassroots program that reaches out to the American people regarding spreading the truth about what is causing the climate crisis to be exacerbated, and then arming those informed citizens with the tools necessary to demand changes is the best way to go about this. That's why I applied to be a part of it, because the reality of this situation is that political change regarding this moral issue will not happen until people change.
The urgency of this issue and the effect it is having on our world is truly immense and surpasses party affiliation. And that I believe is where some Democrats make a mistake in treating this issue as if it is only a Democratic issue, because it isn't. This issue transcends political party and the sooner we engage people of all politics, religions, backgrounds, walks of life, and beliefs to understand this, the faster we can begin to work together to heal our planet.
Reading about the premiere of his important movie overseas and the initiatives other countries are working on regarding alternate energy sources, I can bet you that in Australia and other countries in Europe there will be more and quicker action taken on this issue than in America. In this country, one politician who watched this movie in Washington DC was quoted as stating it "may" spark change just to have something to say. Others to my knowledge said nothing.
Just look at what happened regarding the Kyoto Protocol previously, when there was no mass movement by the American people to hold their feet to the fire regarding it when there should have been. I believe Americans have become too dependant on politicians to deal with what they can't be bothered with, or are just too disillusioned to care. Democracy in America has become less and less hands on and become more of something to be strutted in parades and used as soundbites in political campaigns... but again, where is the real action and meaning?
I think Americans on the whole are good people, but many are also very self -absorbed, too attached to their tv sets, and way too dependant on someone else always initiating change while they sit and say it should be done. Whereas it would appear that people in many European countries and other countries around the world seem to be much more in tune with the spiritual and social implications of issues, and much more engaged in being vocal about what they believe in.
I watched an interview Al Gore gave for a Canadian tv station a couple months back where he claimed that he would not believe that the people of Canada would ever allow Harper to take away their social consciences regarding the environment especially in light of all the strides they have made on this issue, and I agree. But then, look at what American politicians have done to totally strip the issue of the environment of its importance in their agendas, and they are still doing it.
There is no huge mass movement by Congressional members to seek and pass real groundbreaking legislation at the Federal level that will give us vehicles that get 80 miles to the gallon as scientists have attested we have the technology to deliver. Sure there is one bill out this year seen as a bold move to cut emissions by 80% by I believe 2025 (?), but really, what real good would it do if cars still get 20 miles to the gallon and alternate sources of energy are not marketed aggressively to the people as an option and made easier to obtain? What good will it do if we do not see this as a moral issue? Perhaps we may see an attempt by this new Congress regarding legislation, but even with Democrats controlling Congress that doesn't mean it will happen, especially with "Clear Skies" Bush still having veto power. That is why the time has come for the people to go around him! The world can't wait.
We need Americans to become empowered to seek change from their leaders and themselves, but then, if they see that even when their leaders know of the problem and still do nothing, we have to take the grassroots ground up approach, become engaged in the Democratic process again, and disengage ourselves from the distractions that we place so much importance on that detract from the real problems we need to pay attention to.
The challenge then to Americans is, can we do all of that and do we think it is worth it? The answer to the latter part of it is a resounding yes for me, and living in a country that is first in the emissions that are causing this crisis I find it immoral to think that the answer to the first part of that question would be no, and don't believe it will be once the truth is known on a wider scale, which is exactly what Mr. Gore and others are doing by leading on this issue and seeking our aid as the cavalry that comes to bring up the ranks.
Al Gore: My Ally Is RealityExcerpt from the following article:
Al Gore: I have a big ally - reality
Wednesday November 15, 2006
By Brian Fallow
Mr Gore, who describes himself as a recovering politician, said he had no plans to run for the presidency again. "The environment used to be a bipartisan issue and it was only when the right wing of the Republican Party gained the ascendancy did it become a partisan issue." But there were now signs with the climate-friendly initiatives of the Republican Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and presidential contender Senator John McCain that it might become a bipartisan issue again, he said. "I think it will increasingly be seen as a moral issue, beyond party."
Mr Gore does not believe that at least in the case of climate change, the US is inherently averse to taking part in a multilateral international effort like the Kyoto Protocol. With sustained leadership and the use of the "bully pulpit" he thinks a US president would be able to persuade the Senate to ratify the protocol. "Or at the very least would be able to quickly join the process to negotiate a successor to Kyoto." Such an agreement needed to be tougher than Kyoto, with more ambitious thresholds and deadlines, he said. It needed to treat the role of forests more comprehensively. "And of course China and India and the other large emerging economies must be induced to join sooner rather than later.
"I am under no illusions that that would be easy or that they can be treated in the near term on the same conditions as wealthier countries. "We know that's not in prospect but we must move forward." Both China and India were aware of the consequences for them if the climate crisis was not solved, Mr Gore said. Both relied on the Tibetan plateau as a source of water for their great rivers. That water was now at risk as glaciers in the roof of the world shrank, he said. "The best way to induce them to join the international process is for the US to join and take away their principal excuse for going so slowly."
Because it is hard for new cleaner technologies to compete with existing ones as long as the right to emit greenhouse gases is free, Mr Gore advocates enlisting the power of markets by pricing the right to emit. That could be through a regime akin to fishing quotas or through shifting the tax system so that you tax pollution rather than employment. "In addition to those measures, governments should also stimulate more R&D to bring as quickly as possible into view a new generation of technology. But once the market signals are right, the private sector is far better able to efficiently allocate capital towards the best means of solving the problem."
~~~~~
Mr. Gore is indeed correct, and as this document points out,
http://www.climnet.org/COP12/CCPI-COP12-121106.pdfunless the United States steps forward as a signatory and a member of a stronger Kyoto plan, other countries will continue to lag behind, and that is not good for the future sustainability of our planet. We cannot wait another two to three years or more to get going on this.
We need a stronger Kyoto (Climate) Treaty now that calls for a rapid reduction in emissions by working with markets, and that includes calling for alternate sources that do not use other precious resources such as water to produce them (as corn ethanol does.) That means, solar, cellulosic ethanol, wind, biomass, and also looking into energy that can be produced by ocean currents.
It will also require that wealthier nations make pledges to help out poorer developing nations to meet targets, even if it means forgiving outstanding debt in order to give these nations a chance. I have also come around to Mr. Gore's carbon tax idea, and believe it is a good way to tax polluters in order to make them realize their moral responsibility regarding their business practices.
This is not to punish business or progress, quite the contrary. It is to stimulate moral responsibility that translates into larger market shares and diversification which actually stimulates the economy both here and abroad. Of course again, that won't be accomplished unless people have the moral will to do it, and that moral will cannot be ignited without people knowing exactly what we are up against, and that is where WE come in.
But what's that, you say? You still don't know what that entails regarding you? Well, put down the Gore in 08 placard, step into reality, and start writing letters to your representatives NOW to get started on this issue. Make a personal pledge to
reduce your own carbon footprint and become a messenger for the truth. Believe me, it has a snowball effect and that is exactly what is needed now, because again, it DOES in this country start with US. That has in the last 230 years of our history been the way it is done. And that is simply the reality of it.
'Wake up there. Your world is changing. You are changing it. You need to change'. Amen, Mr. Gore.
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