Our Choice in the Face of Climate Crisis: Al Gore at the American Museum of Natural History

Former Vice President Al Gore gave an impassioned speech about his new book, Our Choice, to a packed house at the American Museum of Natural History on Nov. 3.

While Gore’s last book, An Inconvenient Truth, sounded the alarm on the dangers of global warming, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis offers practical solutions to the current global crisis. The book primarily focuses on the many renewable power sources that are already available, including solar, wind power and geothermal energy.

Gore encouraged attendees to take action against global warming, particularly on moral grounds.

“This situation is a challenge to our moral imagination. Were we to choose to exploit bounty so that none was left, it would be the most immoral act ever committed by any generation,” Gore said.

With the December U.N. Climate Conference in Copenhagen quickly approaching, Gore emphasized that it is imperative that world leaders take immediate actions to curb global warming, especially since carbon dioxide emissions have gone from 280 parts per million to 389.

Among the possible ravages of global warming are increased droughts, coastal flooding and the melting of the polar ice caps.

The book, which draws on conversations with scientists and energy experts at 30 solutions summits—unpublicized and invitation-only meetings with leading climate change experts—also focuses on how to mitigate the effects of deforestation, population increases and soil erosion on the climate crisis.

Gore, who first became interested in environmental issues when he was a sophomore at Harvard University, told the audience he never imagined that the problem of global warming would still remain unsolved in 2009.

He showed little patience for global warming deniers, comparing them to “birthers,” the conspiracy theorists who question President Barack Obama’s American citizenship in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

During the question and answer session one audience member asked Gore what people could do to fight global warming.

“It’s important to change light bulbs and windows but it’s more important to change laws,” Gore said.

All of the book’s proceeds will go to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a non-profit Gore founded in 2006. For more information on Gore’s book, see here.