Not to quibble with the Nobel committee, but….
Al Gore co-won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Combined with his Emmy, Webby, and Academy Awards, Gore’s Nobel has cemented his hold on the world’s Most Bitchin’ Mantle Ever. Just to be curmudgeonly, I thought this bit from the official press release was odd: Al Gore has ...
Al Gore co-won this year's Nobel Peace Prize, along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Combined with his Emmy, Webby, and Academy Awards, Gore's Nobel has cemented his hold on the world's Most Bitchin' Mantle Ever. Just to be curmudgeonly, I thought this bit from the official press release was odd: Al Gore has for a long time been one of the world's leading environmentalist politicians. He became aware at an early stage of the climatic challenges the world is facing. His strong commitment, reflected in political activity, lectures, films and books, has strengthened the struggle against climate change. He is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted (emphasis added). I have a question -- is this really true? I don't doubt that if one replaced "worldwide" with "American" that this would be the case. Has the rest of the world, however, really been smacking their forehead saying, "Thank God Al Gore was here to alert us!!" This is a serious question -- for those non-American readers out there, was Al Gore the reason you began to think about global warming? UPDATE: Gore blogs about his prize, saying, "We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level." Again, being curmudgeonly, of couse the climate crisis is a political issue -- it's about the distribution of Really Really Big Costs and Benefits. This doesn't preclude it from being a moral issue as well, but Gore's statement suggests that he ascribes to the Jeffrey Sachs Theory of Politics. LAST UPDATE: Lest I seem too curmudgeonly, it's worth reading the opening to John Dickerson's Slate column on Gore. Al Gore is a winner. Al Gore was right. One of the best things for Al Gore about winning the Nobel Peace Prize is that the sound bites are finally all on his side. For decades the two-term vice president has been championing environmental causes and until recently often received public scorn and derision. Now he's been rewarded with one of the most coveted prizes on the planet. This reversal in Gore's fortunes is extraordinary. He's not only seen a rolling vindication of his environmental activism as the world becomes more consumed with combating global climate change, but his prewar warnings about the conflict in Iraq now look prescient. Meanwhile, George Bush?the other political scion with whom Gore will forever be linked because of their bitter election fight in 2000?has followed almost exactly the opposite trajectory. Unpopular and increasingly criticized by many in his own party, Bush's legacy will be the broken war. While Gore is lauded for his prescience and insight, Bush will for some time?perhaps forever?be best known for lacking those same qualities.It's hard to dispute much in those paragraphs.
Al Gore co-won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Combined with his Emmy, Webby, and Academy Awards, Gore’s Nobel has cemented his hold on the world’s Most Bitchin’ Mantle Ever. Just to be curmudgeonly, I thought this bit from the official press release was odd:
Al Gore has for a long time been one of the world’s leading environmentalist politicians. He became aware at an early stage of the climatic challenges the world is facing. His strong commitment, reflected in political activity, lectures, films and books, has strengthened the struggle against climate change. He is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted (emphasis added).
I have a question — is this really true? I don’t doubt that if one replaced “worldwide” with “American” that this would be the case. Has the rest of the world, however, really been smacking their forehead saying, “Thank God Al Gore was here to alert us!!” This is a serious question — for those non-American readers out there, was Al Gore the reason you began to think about global warming? UPDATE: Gore blogs about his prize, saying, “We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.” Again, being curmudgeonly, of couse the climate crisis is a political issue — it’s about the distribution of Really Really Big Costs and Benefits. This doesn’t preclude it from being a moral issue as well, but Gore’s statement suggests that he ascribes to the Jeffrey Sachs Theory of Politics. LAST UPDATE: Lest I seem too curmudgeonly, it’s worth reading the opening to John Dickerson’s Slate column on Gore.
Al Gore is a winner. Al Gore was right. One of the best things for Al Gore about winning the Nobel Peace Prize is that the sound bites are finally all on his side. For decades the two-term vice president has been championing environmental causes and until recently often received public scorn and derision. Now he’s been rewarded with one of the most coveted prizes on the planet. This reversal in Gore’s fortunes is extraordinary. He’s not only seen a rolling vindication of his environmental activism as the world becomes more consumed with combating global climate change, but his prewar warnings about the conflict in Iraq now look prescient. Meanwhile, George Bush?the other political scion with whom Gore will forever be linked because of their bitter election fight in 2000?has followed almost exactly the opposite trajectory. Unpopular and increasingly criticized by many in his own party, Bush’s legacy will be the broken war. While Gore is lauded for his prescience and insight, Bush will for some time?perhaps forever?be best known for lacking those same qualities.
It’s hard to dispute much in those paragraphs.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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