Al Gore's New Theme Song: Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta

People often ask me, "The Green Miles (no, people don't actually call me that, but it's my blog so just go with it), when did global warming go from being a matter of debate to accepted reality? What was the tipping point?"

My answer is that there were two distinct tipping points. The first came on May 24, 2006 when Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, was released in theaters. After that, people stopped debating whether global warming is happening. The debate shifted to why global warming is happening.

The second tipping point came on February 2, 2007, when the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report declaring that "with near certainty — more than 90 percent confidence — that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities have been the main causes of warming in the past half century." That shifted the debate from why global warming is happening to what we can do to avoid its worst effects.

Now today, we have the possibility of the third tipping point. Al Gore and the IPCC have been recognized for their work with the Nobel Peace Prize. Will the debate shift now from what we can do to international agreement on strong action to limit greenhouse gas emissions?

For the environmental movement, the Prize is a watershed event. But for Al Gore, after getting screwed by the political media in 2000, it must be especially satisfying. I'd think he's walking around like this today:

Top Bush Energy Official Clenches Teeth, Acknowledges Climate Change

Yesterday The Politico interviewed Raymond Orbach, the nation's first undersecretary at the Department of Energy. His comments reflect President Bush's evolving opinions on global warming, from, "Warming? What warming?" to, "OK, OK, it's warming! But you can't make me do anything about it." Here's an excerpt:

Q: Is global warming real? And is it man-made?

A: Global climate change is a serious challenge, and we are performing the basic applied research that will confront it.

Q: But does a preponderance of evidence show that it is man-made?

A: My understanding is that the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), of which we are a part, believes that at least part of the increase in temperature is man-made.

Q: Have you seen "An Inconvenient Truth"?

A: No, I haven't. I really can't comment; it would be unfair.

"At least part of the increase"? The IPCC has reported there's "at least 90 percent certainty that human activities, led by burning fossil fuels, [are] stoking warming."

Also, I get a chuckle out of the utter refusal of conservatives in general and Bush administration officials in particular to admit even having seen the movie. Just because you learn about other perspectives doesn't mean you disagree with them; it's called "opposition research." I certainly don't agree with the columns of Bob Novak, George Will, and Charles Krauthammer in the Post, but I read them to understand the conservative point of view.

Y'know, An Inconvenient Truth is out on DVD, maybe we should all chip in and get him a copy? Tell you what, if anyone donates at least $20 to ACE today through the NetworkForGood.org charity badge on the right side of this blog, I'll send Mr. Orbach a copy of the DVD and some microwave popcorn with a little note that says "From all of us here at The Green Miles." Any takers?

Gore's 'Truth' restricted at schools

I can't decide what my favorite part of this news item is ...

* "Condoms don't belong in school, and neither does Al Gore." So if Al Gore brings condoms to school, they'll REALLY be pissed?

* Citing John Stossel as a scientific expert to counter the opinion of the entire National Academy of Sciences.

* "The information that's being presented is a very cockeyed view of what the truth is. The Bible says that in the end times everything will burn up, but that perspective isn't in the DVD."

* "None has seen the movie."

Just go read it and you'll know why I don't know whether to laugh or head to Federal Way, WA with a thermometer and a baseball bat.

Arlington Co. Board Begins 2007 with a Breath of Fresh AIRE

Just got back from the Arlington County Board's traditional New Year's Day session. It was loaded with red meat for the tree-hugging crowd (and yes, I'm aware of the irony of connecting those two political phrases).

Just how green was it? Three different board members referenced An Inconvenient Truth (official site, my review, buy the DVD).

My biggest bone of contention with the County Board -- and I don't have many -- has been that in a green-and-getting-greener community like Arlington, there's no reason it shouldn't be pushing the envelope of environmentally-friendly policy. Yet DC gets the headlines for requiring green buildings and innovating on things like rubber sidewalks.

But today's meeting marked the start of a new era for Arlington's environmental policies, with new Board Chair Paul Ferguson kicking off his Fresh AIRE (Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions) program. Arlington County has already reduced its emissions 2% since 2000, and Fresh AIRE aims to cut emissions another 10% by 2012 from that 2000 baseline.

Ferguson pointed out several ways Arlington residents could quickly, easily, and affordably contribute to the effort, though he was careful to avoid nannyism, citing Jimmy Carter's sweater speech (not to be confused with Weezer's Sweater Song). The county will be providing some incentives for people to get started:

* Giving out 2,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs at county events over the next year
* Exploring personal property tax (car tax) discounts for drivers of hybrid vehicles
* The county and Dominion Virginia Power will pay for dozens of homes to get energy audits

You can watch video from the board meeting on the County website, or read the text of Ferguson's address.

The elephant in the room, as always, is funding. The dichotomy is visible in the Sun Gazette's coverage of the meeting -- separate articles detailing Ferguson's initiative and the possibility of a tight budget ahead, without mentioning how either might be affected by the other. Obviously I'm not the one writing the budget, but I'd certainly be willing to pay more (in my case, through higher property taxes via higher rent) to make sure the environmental initiatives have the money they need.

Please email board members to let them know you support all the new environmental initiatives and want to make sure they're fully funded!

"An Inconvenient Truth": When Spin Wins

My first piece of advice on Al Gore's new movie, "An Inconvenient Truth": Don't go expecting to see "Fahrenheit 9/11" or "Super Size Me." This isn't a typical Hollywood documentary with high production values, one-liners, and an emotional ending. It's a sobering look at the inconvenient facts of global warming that politicians of both parties have chosen to overlook.

You don't get a sense of anger from Gore that you do from a Michael Moore. Rather, Gore comes across as a frustrated man realizing his lifelong crusade against air pollution and global warming is winding down, and as Gore himself admits, we're no better off now than we were when he started.

Gore rationally lays out the facts of climate change, making the same PowerPoint presentation that he has hundreds of times across the country and around the world. Carbon dioxide levels spiked two or three times as high as they've been in the last 650,000 years. Global temperatures shattering records year after year. And disturbingly, reports of polar bears drowning in the Arctic Sea, despite their ability to swim up to 60 miles, due to the lack of sea ice. (For more details, click here.)

And for all this, Gore blames ... us. Well, not directly. He says despite broad -- maybe even unanimous -- scientific consensus, we've allowed spin to win the argument over science. Because the mainstream media focuses so much on balance of opinion -- "supporters say this, while opponents say that" -- the truth is blurred, and we're given the mistaken impression that just because conservatives don't want global warming to be happening, that in fact there's some question about it.

But there's no doubt temperatures are going up, local climates are changing, and glaciers are disappearing. The only question is whether we'll allow those disasters to continue, or make the hard personal and political choices to slow or reverse the process. So I hope you choose to see this movie, and to bring a friend!