Unit9 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech.docx

Unit9 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech.docx

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Unit9NobelPeacePrizeAcceptanceSpeech

Unit9

NobelPeacePrizeAcceptanceSpeech

AlGore

Deliveredon10December,2007

AdditionalBackgroundInformation

AlGore

AlbertArnoldGore,Jr.（1948-）servedasthe45thVicePresidentoftheUnitedStatesfrom1993to2001underPresidentBillClinton.HewastheDemocraticPartynomineeforPresidentinthe2000U.S.presidentialelection.Goreisanenvironmentalactivistandauthor.

HerepresentedTennesseeintheU.S.HouseofRepresentativesfrom1977to1985,andlaterintheU.S.Senatefrom1985to1993,finallybecomingVicePresidentin1993.Inthe2000presidentialelection,Gorewonthepopularvote,butheultimatelylosttheElectoralCollegetoGeorgeW.Bush.

Gore’sfatherwasaformerU.S.Senator.Hehadagreatinfluenceonhisson.Duringtheschoolyears,GorelivedwithhisfamilyinTheFairfaxHotelinWashingtonD.C.,andduringthesummermonths,heworkedonthefamilyfarminCarthage,Tennessee,wheretheGoresgrewtobaccoandhayandraisedcattle.Hislifemovedbetweencityandcountryside,andthisuniqueexperienceenabledhimtolearntoappreciatenatureandprovidedhimwithaninsightfulviewabouttherelationshipsbetweenhumanbeingsandnature.

In1965,GoreenrolledinHarvardUniversity.Inhissenioryear,hetookaclasswithoceanographerandglobalwarmingtheoristRogerRevelle.InhisbookAnInconvenientTruth,GorecallsProfessorRevellea“scientifichero”becausehewas“thefirstpersontoproposemeasuringCO₂intheearth’satmosphere.”ProfessorRevellesparkedGore’sinterestinglobalwarmingandotherenvironmentalissues.

AftergraduationfromHarvard,GoreservedintheArmyfrom1969to1971.From1971to1972,heattendedVanderbiltUniversityDivinitySchool.HebegantoworkthenightshiftforTheTennesseanasaninvestigativereporterin1971.HisinvestigationsofcorruptionamongmembersofNashville’sMetroCouncilresultedinthearrestandprosecutionoftwocouncilmenforseparateoffenses.HetookaleaveofabsencefromTheTennesseantoattendVanderbiltUniversityLawSchoolin1974.

Asafreshmancongressman,heheldthefirstcongressionalhearingsonclimatechange,andco-sponsoredhearingsontoxicwasteandglobalwarming.In1990,SenatorGorepresidedoverathree-dayconferencewhichsoughttocreateaGlobalMarshallPlan,“underwhichindustrialnationswouldhelplessdevelopedcountriesgroweconomicallywhilestillprotectingtheenvironment”;legislatorsfromover42countriesattended.Hewasinvolvedwithanumberofotherprogramsandactivitiesthatrevolvedaroundtheenvironmentandclimatechange.OnEarthDay,1995,helaunchedtheGLOBEprogram,whoseaimitwastopromotethelearningofscienceamongyoungstudentsandtoenhanceenvironmentalliteracyandstewardship.Inthelate1990s,GorestronglypushedforthepassageoftheKyotoProtocol,whichcalledforreductioningreenhousegasemissions,buthewasopposedbytheSenate.

GoreservedasVicePresidentduringtheClintonAdministration.HewasinitiallyhesitanttoacceptthepositionasBillClinton’srunningmateinthe1992presidentialelection,butafterclashingwiththeGeorgeW.BushAdministrationoverglobalwarmingissues,hedecidedtoaccepttheoffer.HeledtheClinton-GoreAdministration’seffortstoprotecttheenvironmentinawaythatwouldalsostrengthentheeconomy.

Sincethen,Gorehasfoundedseveralnon-profitorganizations,includingtheAllianceforClimateProtectionandtheClimateRealityProject.Hehastraveledaroundtheworldconductingresearchandgivingcountlesslecturesonglobalwarming.HecofoundedandwaschairmanofCurrentTV,anindependentlyownedcableandsatellitetelevisionnetworkforyoungpeoplebasedonviewer-createdcontentandcitizenjournalism.AmemberoftheBoardofDirectorsofAppleComputer,Inc.andaSeniorAdvisortoGoogle,Inc.,GorehasalsoservedasVisitingProfessoratanumberofAmericanuniversities.

Gorewrotethreebooks.HisfirstwasEarthintheBalance:

EcologyandtheHumanSpirit（1992）.In2006,hewroteAnInconvenientTruth:

ThePlanetaryEmergencyofGlobalWarmingandWhatWeCanDoaboutIt,onthethreatofandsolutionstoglobalwarming.Itwaspublishedinconjunctionwiththereleaseofadocumentaryfilmbythesametitleandelaboratedonthepointsmadeinthefilm.Thefilmandthebookwerebothbasedonaslideshowhedevelopedandpresentedtoaccompanythelecturesonhisworldwidetours.Thefilmhashadagreatimpactonviewers’attitudetowardglobalwarming.Accordingtotheproducersofthefilm,ParticipantMedia,theproportionofAmericanswhothoughtglobalwarmingwasarealissuebeforethemovie’sreleasewas30%,andafteritwas87%.Gore’smostrecentbookisTheFuture:

SixDriversofGlobalChange（2013）.

GorehasreceivedanumberofawardsincludingtheNobelPeacePrize（jointawardwiththeIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange）（2007）,theAcademyAwardforBestDocumentaryFeatureFilm（2007）forAnInconvenientTruth,andaGrammyAwardforBestSpokenWordAlbum（2009）forhisbookAnInconvenientTruth.

AttheendofhisfamousfilmGoresays,“Eachoneofusisacauseofglobalwarming,buteachoneofuscanmakechoicestochangethatwiththethingswebuy,theelectricityweuse,thecarswedrive;wecanmakechoicestobringourindividualcarbonemissionstozero.Thesolutionsareinourhands,wejusthavetohavethedeterminationtomakeithappen.”

BasicKnowledgeaboutGlobalWarming/ClimateChange

Undisturbedbyhumanaction,theearth’satmospherehasbeenabletomaintainadelicatebalanceforthousandsofyears.Theradiationfromsunlight（solarenergy）penetratestheatmosphere,athinlayerthatencompassestheearth.Carbondioxide（CO₂）andothergasestrapsomeofthisenergy,whichmakestheearthwarmandhabitable.Theatmosphereoftheearthservesasakindofgreenhousethatusessomeoftheheatfromthesuntowarmtheplanet.Theremainderofthesolarenergybouncesbackintospace.Theheatthatremainshassustainedlifeasweknowit.However,theIndustrialRevolution,whichsawtheuseoffossilfuels（coal,oilandgas）inhugeandever-growingquantities,hasbeenlargelyresponsibleforchangingthisdelicatebalance.Whenburned—infactories,houses,automobiles,generatingstations,etc.—fossilfuelsemitCO₂andcertainothergases（calledgreenhousegases）intotheatmosphere.These,inturn,trapmoresolarenergythanisneeded.TheaccumulatedCO₂andothergreenhousegaseshaveincreasedby40%sincepre-industrialtimes,enoughtocauseseriouswarmingoftheplanet,upsettingthebalance.

TheUnitedNationsIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange（IPCC）istheworld’smostauthoritativevoiceonglobalwarming/climatechange.Itengagestheservicesofthousandsofscientistsworldwidetoreviewvastamountsofscientificinformationonthesubject.Their2013“FifthAssessmentReport”pointsoutthattheconcentrationsofCO₂andothergreenhousegasesintheatmospherehaveincreasedtolevelsunprecedentedinatleastthelast800,000years.Sincetheearly20thcentury,theearth’saveragesurfacetemperaturehasincreasedby0.8°C,withmostoftheincreaseoccurringinthelastthreedecades.Thisdoesnotsoundlikeverymuch,butthewarmingisnotuniforminallpartsoftheplanet.ItismuchgreaterinthePolarRegions.

Overthelasttwodecades,theGreenlandandAntarcticicesheetshavebeenlosingmass,andArcticseaiceandNorthernHemispherespringsnowcoverhavebeendecreasingtoasignificantextent.IceandsnowkeepthePolarRegionscoolandhelpmoderatetheclimateworldwide.Theyhaveabrightsurfacesothatmostofthesunlightthatstrikesthemisreflectedbackintospace.Asiceandsnowmeltinthesummer,thedarkoceanandlandsurfacesabsorbmostofthesolarenergy,withtheresultthatthepolartemperaturerises.Asmalltemperatureincreaseatthepolesmeansthatlesssnowandicewillformandtheywillmeltmorequickly.Acycleiscreated:

astheiceandsnowmelt,theseaandlandabsorbanincreasingamountofheat,causingevenmoremelting,leadingtostillgreaterwarmingovertime,andmakingthepolesthemostsensitiveregionstoclimatechangeonearth.ScientificmeasurementsshowthatboththethicknessandextentofsummerseaiceintheArctichavedeclineddramaticallyoverthepastthirtyyears,withhugechunksofpolaricecapsbreakingoff.

Inadditiontoacceleratingglobalwarming,thelossofgreatamountsoficeandsnowalsoresultsinrisingsealevels.ThisisalreadycreatingsevereandfrequentfloodinginsomeSouthPacificislands.ThesituationhasreachedseriousenoughproportionstoforcepeopletomigratetoAustraliaandotherareas.Thepredictionisthat,intheabsenceofanimmediateandlarge-scalereductioningreenhousegases,therewillbeagreatdealmorerisingofsealevels,suchthatverylargepartsoflow-lyingcountriesliketheNetherlands,andcoastalcitieslikeNewYork,Calcutta,Shanghai,Bangkok,Jakarta,BuenosAires,anddozensofotherswillbeunderwater.

Glaciersallaroundtheworldarealsomelting.Withhugequantitiesofsnowandicemeltingrapidly,wecanexpectfirsttoomuchwater,andthennotenough,leadingtofloodsanddroughts,whicharealreadybecomingmorecommonplace.Asmostofushavenoticed,inadditiontofloodsanddroughts,wearealsoexperiencingotherformsofextremeweathertoanextentgreaterthaneverbefore.TheIPCCreportstatesthatthewarmest30-yearperiodofthelast1400yearswasfrom1983to2012.Thus,heatwaveshavebecomecommoninmanypartsoftheworld.Warmoceanwaterfuelstyphoons（alsoknownascyclones