It's easy to be cynical about the world and its problems. Thank goodness for all the great leaders who encourage us to be optimistic and keep on trying. Take Al Gore. CBC's The National recently aired an interview with him. If many of us had come as close as he did, to becoming president of the U.S. well, we might spend the rest of our lives in a some kind of bitter mood. Not Al Gore. He can even joke about the situation. Part of the piece showed him walking onstage and announcing, "I'm Al Gore and I used to be the next president of the United States."
Gore is using his fame to advance the cause of protecting the environment. He does this with his books, his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, and his work around the world, educating and encouraging others to join him in a campaign to curb climate change.
When asked what he thinks about Canada's recent actions (non-actions?) on environmental protection, Gore spoke diplomatically but emphatically, "In recent years, at the national level, the reluctance of the Canadian government to really provide leadership on the climate issue has been a cause for concern and many have expressed that concern." Amen! We are concerned. Actually we are embarrassed.
There was another piece on Thursday night's National, about the critical disappearance of the bee population in North America. Climate change was cited as the biggest culprit for this situation. Reduced crop pollination is just one of the results. Scientist Jeremy Kerr of the University of Ottawa was blunt. "The federal government should have been moving quickly (on climate change) ten years ago and didn't. The federal government should have been moving quickly five years ago and did nothing. We need them to stop delaying and start working."
If only Harper had spent a fraction of his war on terror money or a fraction of his economic action plan ads on a war against climate change. Al Gore was slightly optimistic in tonight's interview. He thinks that with the rapid advances in technology like solar and wind power, that there is still a chance to make positive change. Hopefully, a new federal government will follow his lead.
