Posted on 03/21/2007 7:38:32 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Al Gore -- star of an Oscar-winning movie, former U.S. vice president and the object of 2008 presidential speculation -- on Wednesday took his crusade against global warming to Capitol Hill.
Glad-handing like the lifelong politician he was until losing the 2000 presidential race to George W. Bush, Gore called his return to Congress "an emotional occasion."
But he did not mince words on what he termed the current climate crisis: "Our world faces a true planetary emergency."
Before a joint House panel dealing with energy, air quality and the environment and the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, Gore stressed the need for quick action.
Under often contentious but consistently civil questioning at both hearings, Gore discussed the risks of sea level rise, stronger storms, more wildfires and other ills associated with global climate change, and urged an immediate freeze on U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.
After that, he said, the United States should begin a program of sharp reductions in carbon emissions "to reach at least 90 percent reductions by 2050." He also proposed a tax on carbon emissions.
Gore, a Democrat who represented Tennessee in Congress before serving as vice president under President Bill Clinton, had enough star power to pack a large hearing room and require three overflow rooms -- two for the public and one for media.
He has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and has prompted intense curiosity in Washington about whether another presidential bid is in prospect. So far, he has said no but has not categorically ruled it out.
CARBON-NEUTRAL GORE?
Sen. James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican and Washington's most vocal skeptic about the human causes of global warming, pressed Gore to commit to cutting his personal home energy consumption to no more than what the average American household consumes -- without paying for carbon offsets, which Inhofe dismissed as "gimmicks used by the wealthy."
Gore demurred, but later said, "We live a carbon-neutral life, senator, and both of my businesses are carbon-neutral. We buy green energy, we do not contribute to the problem that I am joining with others to solve."
Living a carbon-neutral life means calculating how much climate-damaging carbon you emit, cutting emissions where possible and balancing the rest by buying so-called carbon offsets, such as shares in windmills or by planting trees.
Gore has lately faced public questions about his personal "carbon footprint," especially at his home in Tennessee. An aide noted that Gore and his wife Tipper drove to Wednesday's hearing in a black hybrid vehicle.
At the House hearing, he was flanked by cardboard boxes that he said contained some 516,000 letters calling for congressional action to stop global warming.
"This problem is burning a hole at the top of the world in the ice cover that is one of the principle ways our planet cools itself," Gore said. "If it goes, it won't come back on any timescale relevant to the human species."
Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, questioned the scientific basis for global warming as presented in "An Inconvenient Truth," the Academy Award-winning documentary that featured Gore.
Barton said a carbon tax would "harm the American family" adding, "A Kyoto-style cap and trade system will mainly increase the cost of electricity."
As for Gore's proposed freeze on carbon emissions, Barton said it would mean "no new industry, no new people and no new cars."
Other legislators, including former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said they agreed with much of what Gore said about climate change and its effects, but questioned the economics of tackling the problem and wondered whether any U.S. measures would put it at a competitive disadvantage with countries like China and India.
CoastToCoastAM the most listened-to talk show in the world is trying to put together a debate.
No problem getting experts and scientists who oppose the Gore nuts but the Gore nuts will not come on the show unless they can appear all by themselves. They will not debate. George Norry just announced that at the top of the show.
Well on the rebroadcast of Laura Ingraham before Norry starts blaming Bush. . . .
BTW I heard that Gore was late for the hearings. Some believe that he showed up late for the hearings because he did not want to hear opening statements critical of his feeeeeeeeeeelings.
That would be funny if it wasn't so TRUE....
He's certifiable..
These demons think that government can solve anything. If it requires killing off a billion people, they will do it. They will create the lies to make it happen. As Gore said, "These are not normal times. . . We need to redeem the times . . .with 90% CO2 reductions in 50 years."
The inconvenient truth is that all of the North Pole ice could melt and it would not raise ocean levels one bit. The reason: The ice at the North Pole is floating ice. When it melts, the water produced is the same volume as the water that was displaced by the ice. Net change in ocean level is zero.
To see this for your self, put a bunch of ice cubes in a glass of water. (But, not touching the bottom.) Mark the water level on the side of the glass. Let the ice melt and check the water level. It will be the same.
Kind of irrelevant. The icecaps they are talking about are on land (Greenland and Antarctica). That said, Antarctica's ice is growing overall and Greenland's is shrinking but not enough to have more than few mm effect on sea levels.
I have never been able to stand Algore and this hearing just showed me that he is completely nuts, wacko and is an idiot! Algore would be a dictator if he could. I remember when he was VP he wanted legislation that every hot water heater in American be replaced with propane or natural gas. Than God that never happened because now propane and natural gas is sky high!
This man is unbalanced and extremely dangerous. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if he or one of his cohorts were president and the dems also rules the Senate and House? We'd be walking to work or riding bikes everwhere. Of course they wouldn't because they are so damn much better than us "ordinary" people. Liberals remind me a spoiled children. Gore NEVER answered one darn question and that nutcase Barbara Boxer was just about kissing his feet. I had to quit watching. It made me physically ill. AND there was Hillary shaking her head yes to everything he said. (WE also know they actually hate each other) I certainly hope that NO dem woman EVER becomes president because they are idiots! Boxer made a complete ass out of herself!
I just hope that the vast majority of the American people aren't stupid enough to buy all this Global Warming garbage! Our childred are bombarded at school with this crap. It's scares the heck out of me. We have worse things to worry about now...we are at war!
According the the USGS, the threat is not from the north pole, but from melting land mass ice mostly located in the Antarctic and Greenland.
Al Gore is a loon and in DC he will be talking to elected loons. Not good for the country when the Congressional leadership are all off their meds.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.