Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore proposes to "punish climate change deniers." Gore also suggests that politicians who reject "accepted science" should also pay the price.
Gore, an active environmental activist, spoke about the climate crisis at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, revealed that many smart investors are now investing in alternate energy companies rather than on companies that invest in fossil fuels.
"We need to put a price on carbon to accelerate these market trends. And in order to do that, we need to put a price on denial in politics," says Gore. "We have this denial industry cranked up constantly. In addition to 99 percent of the scientists and all the professional scientific organizations, now Mother Nature is weighing in."
Gore, who is the chairman and founder of the Climate Reality Project, made a presentation at the SXSW that highlighted weather events, which may have been responsible due to human activities and negligence. His presentation also linked the issues of Middle East with the current climate change issues.
Gore suggests that weather changes has caused drought in the region, which has forced Syrian refugees to flee to cities that are already full with refugees due to the Iraq war.
The presentation also had a slide that showed Pope Francis. Gore revealed that even the Pope is concerned about the climate changes that are occurring on the planet and he asked Christians to address the issue. Pope Francis is also expected to release a document on climate change in around June or July this year.
During his one and a half hour presentation Gore also revealed many facts about global warming and the steps taken to reduce carbon emission. He pointed out that Bangladesh is working aggressively to install solar panels on rooftops. He also revealed that Dubai's state utility has accepted a bid for a solar power plant.
SXSW festival brings together people from various industries. Gore asked the attendees to promote climate change and global warming issues with the help of social media websites.
Al Gore is also behind the Academy Award winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" that was released in 2006. The documentary focused on global warming and its effects on the Earth.
Gore hopes that his appearance at SXSW will help in promoting the war against climate change and also help in pressurizing those who claim that climate change is not an issue.
Photo: Simone Brunozzi | Flickr
