Next Generation Energy

Gore has taken much criticism for this decision and with good reason—it is hard to imagine that having more politicians with a clear agenda on the climate crisis would be a bad thing. If you ask me, Congress would ideally be staffed with Al Gore clones for the next few years, just to be on the safe side. But it is not an ideal world, and despite the obvious need for climate issues to rise above partisan politics and economic squabbles, Gore's vision would undoubtedly be obscured by such affairs. Unfortunately, as badly as policy needs to be reworked—particularly at the highest levels—I think Gore is right about this one; he is more powerful as a solo individual.

Individual action has taken a bad rap recently with respect to preventing global warming. While at first it seemed urgent to spread the message—conserve water, buy green products, turn off your lights—there is now a popular sentiment that one person can do very little; if giant corporations are still spewing carbon dioxide into the air at appalling rates, what does it matter whether you walk or drive to work? Moreover, even those who do make a conscientious effort received mixed messages from various sources; a particularly notable example is the unresolved debate between local and globalized food production. "Greenwashing" also contributes to the confusion, with many consumers growing frustrated when they are swindled into buying so-called green products.

But individual action does make a difference, particularly when the individual in question has considerable influence like Al Gore or T. Boone Pickens, the BP Capital chairman who recently called for the replacement of foreign oil with wind and other technologies. Using capital from his own companies, Pickens has begun to build a $6 billion to $10 billion wind farm in his native Texas, which could replace a third of imported oil within the next decade without any legislation or governmental hang-ups. If only more billionaires could be so minded. But I think both Gore and Pickens demonstrate an important fact: government is not the only way to effect change. Small actions do add up, and more importantly, they spread. If we rationalize our own wasteful habits because of green backlash or because we don't see the results of our efforts, the political momentum we need will never come.