“…I will ask those among my fellow citizens who share my sense of urgency to join in asking President Obama and the leadership of the United States Senate to set a deadline of April 22, 2010 — the 40th anniversary of Earth Day — for final action of US legislation.”
God love him, Al Gore just keeps on ticking like an old Timex watch. The more the fossil fuel flunkies dump on him, the stronger his message gets. According to his citizen action group polls show that the majority of Americans recognize the need for climate protection despite the insane blatherings of the likes of S. Palin, the Washington Times and Sen. James “save our oil” Inhofe.
Knowing that it will have to be the younger generation that forces us to wake up and smell the roses before they disappear, I am giving my 20-year-old granddaughter Al Gore’s book for Christmas (after I take notes from it !)
On page 189, there’s a photo of pine trees in Colorado that are dead and dying because the winters have not been cold enough to kill off the mountain pine beetle larvae. More than 600,000 acres of forest are now more brown than green. When my husband and I checked into a hotel in Winter Park last summer, the clerk handed us a flyer explaining and apologizing for the ugly destruction of Colorado forests.
Who is going to apologize to the millions of human beings being displaced by rising sea levels and destructive storms? How can anyone deny what thousands of scientists all over the world know and continue to learn about the future of our planet if we don’t jam the brakes on carbon dioxide and other dangerous emissions?
I’ve purchased several copies of the National Geographic Special, Six Degrees Could Change the World and am lending them out, showing them to small groups at libraries, and giving them as gifts to teachers.
Most of us can’t remember the facts, statistics, etc., but no one can watch this film and forget the images of fires in Australia, dusty cattle ranches in Nebraska and ocean waves swallowing up Wall Street (gives a whole new meaning to “bail out,” doesn’t it?)
I don’t for a minute think I’m going to stop global warming, but I’m sure as hell not going down without a fight.