Undaunted: Al Gore, a champion for truth, science, and responsible stewardship

[Celerity]

Each week, The Contrarian will feature a standout figure for democracy. For this week, we honor our former Vice President, Al Gore.

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/undaunted-4aa

https://archive.ph/JR8wd



Climate change deniers have derided Vice President Al Gore for decades. And yet with each new climate change-enhanced disaster, his warnings about global warming seem more prescient. Many Trump regime critics have focused (understandably) on executive decrees making a mockery of the Constitution, paving the way for cronyism and corruption, and demonizing disfavored groups; Gore meanwhile kept his eye firmly on the fate of the planet.

Slamming President Trump’s climate denial and “phony” energy emergence, he declared, “These performative acts show the pervasive influence that the fossil fuel industry will have in the United States over the next four years. But make no mistake, the global Sustainability Revolution is unstoppable.” He slammed withdrawal from the Paris Accords as “shortsighted abdication of leadership that will only serve to put our nation at a disadvantage.” And he documented the other policy travesties.

Again, Gore hits the mark. Former car czar Steven Rattner points out: “The problem with that pronouncement is that it is a solution in search of a problem. American energy companies have been drilling robustly and production of oil and natural gas continues to notch record after record.” The U.S. is the largest oil and gas producer on the planet.

Trump’s gusher of gifts to the fossil fuel industry included the expansion of drilling on public lands; revoking the imaginary “mandate” on electric vehicles; and blocking efforts to expand wind energy production. However, the emergency is not so pressing as to include all energy sources. As for wind: “Trump officially barred new offshore wind leases and will review federal permitting of wind projects, making good on a promise to ‘end leasing to massive wind farms that degrade our natural landscapes and fail to serve American energy consumers,’” Vox reported. Even his own party members may dissent. (“The top four states for wind generation — Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kansas — are solidly red, and unlikely to acquiesce. Even Trump’s pick for Interior secretary, Doug Burgum, refused to disavow wind power during a hearing last week, saying he would pursue an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy.”)

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[GoreWon2000]

1. The people's President in 2000 again leads the way

He's right that climate change will continue to get worse these next 4 years. There will be more catastrophic hurricanes, wildfires, heatwaves and droughts. Sea levels will continue to rise. tRump's Mar-A-Lago home is a sitting duck for rising sea levels and more destructive hurricanes hitting sea level elevation Florida. Despite this overwhelming and irrefutable evidence that tRump continues to refuse to acknowledge, tRump values big campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry more than the future survival of his grandchildren and humanity.
My father was an engineer and was one of the earliest people I'm aware of to start sounding the alarm about the threat of human caused climate change that's being caused by the continued burning of fossil fuels. This issue was part of my childhood and is very near and dear to me.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended

Thanks for the thread Celerity

[Polybius]

3. I've always felt that he should have ran again in 2004

After that, it was sorta too late with Obama coming along. 2016 would have been real tough with Hillary Clinton running.