“It always seems impossible until it’s done”
-Nelson Mandela
Climate change, much like any
global issue, is not easily solved. From
the protection of small island states to the broad task of financing solutions,
tackling it on an international level requires a great level of ambition. Al Gore, former Vice President of the United
States and powerful climate activist at the forefront of the environmental
crusade, is surely not lacking in this determination. His efforts to spread public awareness have not
gone unnoticed, and regardless of an individual’s political views, are to be
greatly commended. We, as the COP20
delegation from SES, had the opportunity to absorb his enthusiasm first-hand;
Gore’s presentations this week have provided great motivation, as the next
generation of leaders, to follow in hot pursuit of a better world.
On Wednesday, Gore gave a
presentation resembling an updated version of “An Inconvenient Truth”, synthesizing the most recent climate data into
an engaging presentation focused on mobilizing people of all walks of life to
do something about climate change. After
reviewing the data for human causation, Gore focused primarily on climate data for
developing countries such as Peru.
Presenting the extreme weather events that have occurred across the
world in relation to climate change, he stressed the importance of taking
action and making our voices heard.
Al Gore introducing his ideology at the first presentation. |
Gore’s Thursday presentation
took on a different form; this time, members of non-governmental organizations
were able to ask their own questions.
From methods of environmental education to views on human rights, Gore’s
knowledge and involvement was nothing short of incredible.
Despite the mounting evidence of climate change, Gore’s genuine optimism shone
through in his opening statements.
Beginning with renewable energy, he created an analogy to the cell phone
industry. While first seen as little
competition, quality and demand began to grow rapidly. In a similar way, we are now at the tipping
point of renewable energy; we are at the point where we are beginning to
replace the old system. Our ability to
mobilize youth, band together, and speak out in the fight against fossil fuels is
why Gore was adamant that “we are
going to win this…we are going to prevail…the only question is how much human
suffering will go into this…but there is no question that we will win.”
Al Gore answers questions at a special briefing for NGO representatives. |
How cool to hear Al Gore speak!
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