Gore Wins the Nobel Peace Prize, but Do Inconvenient Truths Lie Behind His Crusade?

Oct 13, 09:00 AM

Current Headlines: By STEPHEN MCGINTY

WHAT is bad for the environment has been good for Al Gore: first it was an Academy Award, now it is the Nobel Peace Prize.

The man who "used to be the next American president" has been awarded the world's greatest civilian honour, subsequently raising the odds that he could yet claim the keys to the White House.

The Norwegian Nobel committee picked the former US vice- president for his relentless campaign to educate the world on the dangers of global warming. That began as a PowerPoint presentation and was turned into the film An Inconvenient Truth, which in February won the Oscar for best documentary.

He will now share the Nobel with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Yet the further elevation of Al Gore has come at a time when his own environmental credibility is on the slide: this week, a UK High Court judge decreed that the government could only send a copy of An Inconvenient Truth to every school if it was accompanied by guidelines to point out "nine scientific errors" and to counter his "one-sided views".

The High Court ruling will be used as further ammunition by his critics, who have already made political capital out of Mr Gore's attitude, which appears to some to be: "Do as I say, not as I do." In the film, Mr Gore called on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home. However, a report by the Nashville Electric Service revealed that Mr Gore's mansion in Nashville consumed between 12 and 20 times more electricity than the average family home and that his electricity consumption had risen since the film's release in 2005.

IN August 2006, Mr Gore's electricity bills revealed that in one month he burned through 22,619 kilowatts - more than twice what the average family uses in an entire year.

Mr Gore did point out this his pillared mansion, set in spacious, manicured grounds, was four times the size of the average house and that he and his wife, Tipper Gore, both worked from home. He also said that he used energy-efficient lightbulbs and renewable electricity sources, including solar panels.

But Mr Gore did not let the recent criticisms bother him yesterday as he declared himself "deeply honoured" to win the Nobel Prize.

The committee praised him as "probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted", through his lectures, films and books.

The Nobel Peace Prize has traditionally gone to individuals who have promoted peace and attempted to end conflict between states or groups.

However, the Norwegian committee this year said it wished to bring the "increased danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states because of climate change, into sharper focus".

Mr Gore was one of the first politicians to get the environmental bandwagon rolling - while a local politician and congressman in Tennessee, he co-sponsored hearings on toxic waste in 1978, and also hearings on global warming in the 1980s.

He was elected to the senate in 1984 and, four years later, planned to run for the presidency. By then, he already had a formidable reputation as an expert on "technocratic" issues, such as arms control and the environment, but these efforts failed to woo voters outside his native region. However, he returned to the fray in 1992, winning the vice-presidency.

When Mr Gore lost the 2000 election despite winning half a million more votes than George Bush, the Republican candidate, he shook off the inevitable depression by embarking on a gruelling tour of the US and the world, delivering a PowerPoint presentation on climate change more than 1,000 times.

The number of producing flights Mr Gore has taken has not yet been calculated, but as a vocal proponent of carbon neutrality, he has led by example and buys a carbon offset each time he travels by plane.

THE joint award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Mr Gore has prompted supporters to renew calls for him to stand in next year's presidential race.

Yesterday, world leaders also praised Mr Gore. Prime Minister Gordon Brown described him as "inspirational" and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said: "Al Gore has worked like no other person to raise global awareness."

Last night, a spokesman for Mr Bush said: "We're happy for [former] vice-president Gore and the IPCC for receiving this recognition."

(c) 2007 Scotsman, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.