Gore Urges AGU Scientists to Speak Up on Global Warming

By Amy Dean
Published: January 2007

Branson School teachers and students.

The Annual Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) may seem like a yawner to the average non-scientist, but it was the hottest ticket in town this December. Approximately 15,000 students and earth scientists, including many of the world’s most important climate scientists, came together to share their ideas, findings, and research.

Among this brainy and esteemed crowd were six high school students and two dedicated teachers from Branson School. This team of citizen scientists has been monitoring the intertidal biota at Duxbury Reef, through the Sanctuary’s LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) program, since 2000. The students created a scientific poster describing their work, which was on display at Moscone Center during the AGU conference.

Also among the attendees was former Vice President and star of the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore. Mr. Gore, in his typical style, began his keynote address “I am Al Gore and I used to be the next President of the US.” As the crowd laughed, he quickly muttered, “I really don’t think that’s funny at all.”

Beyond the jokes, Mr. Gore had much to say to this massive room of scientists. He urged scientists to be persistent in the pursuit of scientific truths, to become better communicators of the meaning of their research to the general public, to raise the alarm about the climate crisis, and finally to respond to censorship with outrage.

Gore spoke of the continued efforts in the Bush administration to silence scientists. “It must be frustrating to you (scientists) to have completed work and have it misrepresented and misused.” Gore described a recent news story about the Bush Administration instructing U.S. Geological Survey scientists to submit scientific papers and other public documents for screening by supervisors. He described the continued censorship of other federal scientists, such as those at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “How have we as a nation become so vulnerable to this. Why aren’t we outraged at this censorship?” he asks.

Gore had one final message for the scientists regarding climate change. One that was also meaningful for the Branson students listening attentively in the audience, and one that is meaningful to all of us. “Get involved – there is so much at stake!”

Stop Global Warming

Want to get involved in the fight to stop global warming? Here are a few simple things you can do in your daily life that can have an effect on your immediate surrounding, and on places as far away as Antarctica. These ideas, and many more, can be found at www.stopglobalwarming.org.

* Inflate Your Tires: Keep the tires on your car adequately inflated. Check them monthly. Save 250 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $840 per year.

* Put on a Sweater: Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $250 per year.

* Unplug Un-Used Electronics: Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year.* Weatherize Your Home: Caulk and weather strip your doorways and windows. Save 1,700 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $274 per year.