Congratulations to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). After this, will it still be possible for the United States government to continue to do nothing to address the urgent crisis of global warming? The awarding of the Nobel Peace prize, one of the world's most prestigious honors, to Gore and the IPCC is going to make that ongoing denial of reality even more difficult, I think.
The Nobel committee's recognition of these heroes is validation to every person who has been working on this issue, and it shines a harsh light on anyone who is continuing to do nothing. The prize is recognition of decades of hard work, diligent research, ceaseless patience, dedication and passion by Gore and the leading international scientists who make up the IPCC. Now more than ever before, the leadership of the United States needs to catch up to its former vice president and commit our nation to action. The serious task of averting the worst impacts of global warming cannot be accomplished through voluntary measures and empty promises.
As Al Gore says, we face a planetary emergency that presents a "moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity," so we need to work together across all political divides and boundaries.
The question remains, when will President Bush recognize that?