Al Gore on averting climate crisis

TED talk: Al Gore on averting climate crisis

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/al_gore_on_averting_climate_crisis.html

Al Gore gives a presents fifteen ways that an individual can reduce energy consumption in order to avert a climate crisis. In his presentation, Gore stresses the idea that an individual can take part in small scale and larger scale actions to reduce carbon emissions. Gore also emphasis that an individual can take action in all aspects of their life. He suggests buying energy-efficient appliances and investing in companies and funds that are trying to prevent a climate crisis. Although investing in such companies may not seem like it will have much effect, but Gore says the truth is “Over time people will do what you pay them to do.” Gore suggested longer lasting and larger impacting methods of reducing carbon emission and suggested people make their businesses carbon neutral. Political activism is also a good course of action for preventing a climate crisis. Although Gore is a former politician, for the Democratic Party, he states that the political issues about the environment are not constricted to political parties.

Currently, Al Gore is an environmental activist. He gives speeches and lectures raising awareness of the importance of environmental protection and the threat of global warming. However, Gore did not start out as an environmental activist. Al Gore graduated from Harvard University, majoring in government. After serving in the Vietnam War, Gore worked as a reporter while also attending Vanderbilt University studying philosophy and phenomenology. Gore served in the House of Representatives (for four terms), the Senate, and as Clinton’s Vice President. He ran for President twice, but lost both times. In 1992, Gore wrote a book, Earth in the Balance: Healing the Global Environment. The movie An Inconvenient Truth, in which Gore starred, was an Oscar winning documentary on Al Gore’s lectures about the state of the environment. In 2007 Gore won a Nobel Prize for his work on global warming. Gore also is a founder of the Alliance for Climate Protection, a member of the Board of Directors at Apple Inc., and a senior advisor for Google.

Al Gore is considered a leader for environmental activists because of his success in raising concern for the environment, through his book, movie, and many speeches. Gore uses humor, in his TED talk, and in his other works which both engages and interests his audience. People who are bored do not tend to listen or be personally invested in a lecture given by another. In his lecture for TED talks, Gore shows confidence in his public speaking abilities and his knowledge in the topic on which he is speaking. However, Gore is not overconfident. He specifically states that he is always learning something more, and therefore is constantly changing his slideshow presentation.

After High school I would like to major in some sort of environmental science. I am interested in protecting the environment and preventing a climate crisis. I have been in the environmental club for two years now, and plan to join again next year. I am not sure what kind of job I would I like, after or during college, but I hope that after graduating I will work somewhere where I can express my concern for the environment in a productive and effective way.