First an Oscar, Now the Nobel

Along with the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, former Vice President Al Gore has been named the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to raise public awareness about the dangers of global warming. Earlier this year, his documentary film dealing with the same subject, "An Inconvenient Truth", was awarded an Academy Award. The last American (and Democratic political figure) to have been awarded this honor was President Carter in 2002.



Mr. Gore has been an advocate of reversing the trend of global warming long before he served as Vice President of the United States. According to interviews he has given since the Nobel announcement, he derives great satisfaction from the fact that the award will serve to bring the issue of global warming to the international forefront. He hopes that this event will be helpful in recruiting countries which have been reluctant to meet the issue head on. Mr. Gore has already announced plans to donate his portion of the $1.5 million prize money to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a non-profit organization he founded last year and which works to convey the urgency of the climate crisis on a worldwide basis. The bestowal of the Nobel Peace Prize for work in the area of global warming is seen as a validation of the "planetary crisis" which has been forecasted by scientists and laymen alike.



Mr. Gore has been an outspoken critic of many Bush administration's policies, particularly the Iraq war and its response to climate change issues. The Bush administration has not been overly congratulatory to Mr. Gore's accomplishment, and a White House spokesman has announced that the President does not plan to call Mr. Gore. Bush defeated Gore in the 2000 presidential election, leading many to speculate that perhaps Mr. Gore would run for president in the 2008 election. Mr. Gore repeatedly denies that he will seek the presidency.



Although no longer serving in public office, Al Gore has emerged as a very public voice for a crucial global problem.