I think Gore's a hypocrite. He'll lecture on and on about carbon emissions and then use his private jet consuming massive amounts of oil to carry his ass to another seminar where he'll get paid thousands to speak. I like David Suzuki more with his practice-what-you-preach ways.
Well if planes and expensive talks are your problem David Suzuki has the same issues, if admittedly on a more Canadian scale. He's apparently quite a pricey speaker and the following link should take you to a humourous discussion of Suzuki's footprint.
Let me be clear though that I don't think that his large carbon footprint nullifies his work, just as it doesn't Gore's, how responsibly they manage it however... That is a point we agree on.
Yes he does. So along comes my point, you don't have to be carbon neutral to preach carbon neutrality, but you do have to be making an effort. I don't know if Gore is veggie or not, though I suspect you could find out. 'Greening' your home out of media pressure is less commendable than beating the press to the punch, but he did do it and deserves some credit for that. As for how you fly, I suspect having been the vice president affects that somewhat...
I agree that Suzuki is the better enviromentalist, and likely the better educator, but Gore has more reach and is more visible because of name, politics or what have you.
Apparently that is what is necessary to win the Nobel Prize, and though that doesn't thrill me either, it is in keeping with the Prize's history.
You don't have to be carbon neutral to preach carbon neutrality, but you should at least be making the effort.
Gore hasn't been making efforts that should have been natural to anyone serious about the topic.
And no, Gore isn't veg*an, and he has no interest in entertaining the idea. This is one of the things that has spawned PeTA's "too chicken to go vegetarian" campaign (see the NYT article as well). I am not normally a fan of PETA, but on this point, I agree with them 100%.
No one is perfect, but everything that I see related to Al Gore and the environment strikes me as Gore trying to ride the green wave to popularity. And it is working. Call me cynical, but that is my feeling.
Gore's efforts, such as they are, are not enough to inspire your ilk (i.e. "real" environmentalists) to clean up your act. But that's not what he's been trying to do and it wouldn't make much difference if he *did* inspire you as you're already at the "good" end of the spectrum. If most people living in industrialized countries were like you then Gore's efforts would be largely wasted. But there also wouldn't be a problem that needs solving
( ... )
I own a car, and I do drive (though, not that much... certainly less than most people).
Not everyone needs to be vegetarian to help the environment. David Suzuki makes the point that just one meatless day a week will make a big impact, and I think that is a very valid point.
However, I still maintain that people should practice what they preach. Driving a hybrid car is hardly an environmental achievement to be proud of. Gores carbon footprint is 100x my own, and I hardly make an effort (I am an environmentalist, but only so long as it is convenient for me).
I don't demand perfection, but if I am going to follow someone's lead, they should at least be doing a better job than I am, when I ma hardly paying attnetion to the issue.h
1) When David Suzuki flies, he flies on public airlines, not in a private jet. While not ideal, this uses much less energy. 2) He has worked hard the past couple of years to reduce his flights. His last couple of tours have been done in a bio-diesel fuelled tour bus. 3) David Suzuki is a vegetarian, and he strives to eat locally. No respectable environmentalist is still eats meat. 4) Suzuki lives in a small house. Gore lives in a mansion that was only retrofitted to be "green" because of media pressure.
Suzuki works hard to practice what he preaches. Gore does not.
I think maybe calling him a hypocrite is a bit of a harsh indictment. Yes, he flies around in a private jet, but at least he spends his time preaching a worthwhile message and has done a lot to raise awareness on climate change. I think he is even sincere in his efforts.
I think that someone like David Suzuki is far more deserving of this prize for obvious reasons, but I think I'm going to agree with Shade here and say that Gore's celebrity influenced the vote.
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http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/video.php?id=1308
Let me be clear though that I don't think that his large carbon footprint nullifies his work, just as it doesn't Gore's, how responsibly they manage it however... That is a point we agree on.
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I agree that Suzuki is the better enviromentalist, and likely the better educator, but Gore has more reach and is more visible because of name, politics or what have you.
Apparently that is what is necessary to win the Nobel Prize, and though that doesn't thrill me either, it is in keeping with the Prize's history.
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Gore hasn't been making efforts that should have been natural to anyone serious about the topic.
And no, Gore isn't veg*an, and he has no interest in entertaining the idea. This is one of the things that has spawned PeTA's "too chicken to go vegetarian" campaign (see the NYT article as well). I am not normally a fan of PETA, but on this point, I agree with them 100%.
No one is perfect, but everything that I see related to Al Gore and the environment strikes me as Gore trying to ride the green wave to popularity. And it is working. Call me cynical, but that is my feeling.
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Not everyone needs to be vegetarian to help the environment. David Suzuki makes the point that just one meatless day a week will make a big impact, and I think that is a very valid point.
However, I still maintain that people should practice what they preach. Driving a hybrid car is hardly an environmental achievement to be proud of. Gores carbon footprint is 100x my own, and I hardly make an effort (I am an environmentalist, but only so long as it is convenient for me).
I don't demand perfection, but if I am going to follow someone's lead, they should at least be doing a better job than I am, when I ma hardly paying attnetion to the issue.h
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1) When David Suzuki flies, he flies on public airlines, not in a private jet. While not ideal, this uses much less energy.
2) He has worked hard the past couple of years to reduce his flights. His last couple of tours have been done in a bio-diesel fuelled tour bus.
3) David Suzuki is a vegetarian, and he strives to eat locally. No respectable environmentalist is still eats meat.
4) Suzuki lives in a small house. Gore lives in a mansion that was only retrofitted to be "green" because of media pressure.
Suzuki works hard to practice what he preaches. Gore does not.
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Fiddlesticks.
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I think that someone like David Suzuki is far more deserving of this prize for obvious reasons, but I think I'm going to agree with Shade here and say that Gore's celebrity influenced the vote.
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