Gore urges scientists to speak out now
SAN FRANCISCO—Six years removed from one of the most crushing losses in America’s political history, Al Gore has a new gig. He’s the voice of what he calls “the climate crisis.”
The former vice president urged to action several thousand scientists who came to hear him speak during a session of the American Geophysical Union conference. The time for scientists to communicate their findings to the public is now, he said, adding that scientists can’t wait for a disaster to urge people to action.
“As you know better than any other group on this planet, the climate crisis cannot be dealt with that way,” he said.
Gore, author of the book “An Inconvenient Truth” and creator of the movie with the same name, said that global warming is a symptom of a deeper underlying problem with three parts: 1) The collision between our species and the planet; 2) Technological advances that make our impacts on the planet much greater than the impacts of our grandparents; and 3) “We have somehow persuaded ourselves that we really don’t have to care that much about what we’re doing to future generations.”
Gore mentioned the recent news that 34 years from now, sea ice may disappear during the summer at the top of the world. Humans can possibly make a difference in that forecast by reducing emissions of fossil fuels, he said, but that action needs to happen soon.
“If we allow (northern sea ice) to go, it won’t come back on any timescale relevant to the human species,” he said.
Gore told scientists that now is the time for them to share what they’ve learned with everyone, not just their colleagues.
“I’m asking you to consider becoming much more active in the community, to get involved, because so much is at stake,” he said.
“Our challenge is to see clearly that this period we have entered is so different than any other in human history,” Gore said. “We have a duty to rise to this challenge.”
The crowd of scientists stood to applaud Gore after his talk, as they had stood and applauded before he started speaking, when he entered the Marriot Hotel hall. Some Alaska scientists who attended Gore’s session said he left an impression on them.
“Science is no good unless you communicate it,” said K.K. Prussian, a hydrologist for the U.S. Forest Service who lives in Thorne Bay on Prince of Wales Island. “The more information you get out, the better you get the message across,” she said.
“It’s great that he’s drawing attention to this issue,” said Larry Hinzman, director of the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “But it’s also important that he doesn’t over-simplify a solution. Greenhouse gases play an important role in climate dynamics and it’s in our best interest to reduce carbon emissions, but it’s also critical to understand the many complex interactions of natural variations that control the climate on annual to decadal scales.”
“I thought his admonishment to encourage scientists to communicate is a good thing,” said Peter Haeussler, who studies earthquakes with the U.S.G.S. in Anchorage. “It’s easy to share ideas here in our own world, but it’s good to get it out (into the public) where it really matters.”
“I think one of the biggest obstacles scientists have is their incapacity to self promote,” said Dave Atkinson, a climate scientist at the International Arctic Research Center. “He’s encouraging us to step up to the plate.”
