Al Gore gives Duke Environment and Society lecture

The challenge of global warming is this generation’s call to land on the moon, former Vice President Al Gore declared Thursday.

Giving the Duke Environment and Society lecture at the Nicholas School of the Environment, Gore spoke passionately and insistently about the moral imperative to act quickly to reverse climate change.

“The alternative is unthinkable,” said Gore, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his efforts to publicize the effects of global warming. “We have to find a way to solve the crisis.”

Since his unsuccessful presidential bid, Gore has become one of the most vocal proponents of environmental action. He is the author of “An Inconvenient Truth” and the subject of the subsequent Academy Award-winning documentary.

Aside from about a half-dozen protesters who showed up with signs depicting Gore with blood on his hands and accusing him of being a liar and a fraud, Gore was warmly received by the packed house at Page Auditorium.

“It was one of the easiest 60 minutes to listen to,” said Ilana Cohen, a Nicholas masters student studying ecosystem science and conservation. “He’s not stodgy at all.”

“He’s so cool. Is that really embarrassing to say?” said Jordan Eccles, a Ph.D. candidate at the Nicholas School who is studying carbon capturing and sequestration.

Outside, the protesters differed in their opinion of Gore.

“We as individuals are distressed with the charade that Al Gore has been producing,” said Hans Mentha, who held an American flag in one hand and the poster reading “Liar” and “Fraud” in the other. “The facts are being misrepresented.”

In his speech, Gore addressed the fears Mentha and others share — that research on climate change is inconclusive and incomplete.

“Boy, what a relief that would be!” Gore exclaimed. “The science is as solid as science ever gets.”

Acknowledging the challenge of inspiring people to solve a problem with effects that aren’t always easy to see, Gore said it was imperative to trust the research and act now.

“We are capable of responding correctly and doing the right thing,” he said.

Hearing Gore’s talk, a mix of science and advocacy, was a reminder for Eccles of the role he said he felt he should embrace as an environmental researcher.

“For the people who are already on board with the science, it was good to hear about how to communicate that,” he said.

The speech included more light-hearted moments as well. Gore joked about his unsuccessful presidential bid and also congratulated the school on its fourth men’s basketball national championship.

“I was rooting for Duke, believe me,” he said. “I had to.”



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