Al Gore at DAR Constitution Hall: Live Blogging

Former Vice President Al Gore will be issuing what his team is calling "an unprecedented challenge to policymakers and entrepreneurs" today -- July 17th, 2008 -- at DAR Constitution Hall, in Washington DC.

I'll be there to live blog it for On Earth. Doors open at 10 am. Show starts at 12 noon.

Come back throughout the day, as I update this page with quotes, comments, and observations, in real time.

Preliminary Update:

All’s quiet on the blogging front.

A Google search for information on today’s event shows little speculation on blogs as to what exactly Gore will say. Many, like Mark Ambinder, simply reprint the official statement, which reads:

The speech will offer a new way of thinking about our energy production and consumption and a new sense of what is possible when we choose to work together. It will propose a means of tapping America's innovative skills to build a more secure energy future.

Gore also claims he’ll be hitting the “reboot” button.

What exactly does this mean?

My guess is something about the grid. It’s been a topic of discussion amongst enviros for years, but no one has really ever taken it on.

Who knows? Given his record, it would certainly be a familiar position for Gore to be the first to advocate an energy solution.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

Update 7:45 am: The AP released a story this morning disclosing the contents of Al Gore's speech, to be given later today. The opening paragraph reads:

WASHINGTON - Just as John F. Kennedy set his sights on the moon, Al Gore is challenging the nation to produce every kilowatt of electricity through wind, sun and other Earth-friendly energy sources within 10 years, an audacious goal he hopes the next president will embrace.

The standard rallying cry for environmentalists has been 80 by 50 -- that is, an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But so far, nobody has called for an overhaul of this extent. The challenge is immense. From further down the article:

The Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan group that he chairs, estimates the cost of transforming the nation to so-called clean electricity sources at $1.5 trillion to $3 trillion over 30 years in public and private money. But he says it would cost about as much to build ozone-killing coal plants to satisfy current demand.

"This is an investment that will pay itself back many times over," Gore said. "It's an expensive investment but not compared to the rising cost of continuing to invest in fossil fuels."

I'm reminded of the quotation by President Clinton, who said: “Creating the low-carbon economy will lead to the greatest economic boom in the United States since we mobilized for World War II.”

Given the backdrop against which this nnouncement is being made -- the mortgage crisis, sluggish stocks, wary investors -- the American public, and economy, could use precisely this kind of economic boom.

That is, if it actually works.

Update, 8:55 am: As somebody just said to me, "Well, it's easy to say things like that when you're not running for office." The suggestion being, of course, that it's politically impossible. And I agree; this most likely won't happen, regardless of who becomes president.

But that doesn't mean that it's not without value.

Gore has one thing right: climate change is a growing crisis of international importance. If the magnitude of any problem requires a proportional response, than Gore's response is only reasonable. We need immediate change to avoid the worst, long-term consequences from climate change.

This is not to say that it won't be immensely challenging. But the risks of inaction -- ruinous climate change, mass species extinction, the spread of disease, forced human migration -- far outweight the risks of action -- massive expense for clean energy that will yield a cleaner environment, a healthier public, and a reinvigorated economy.

It also may do another thing: make other politican's positions on climate change seem more moderate in comparison.

Update, 9:22 am: It looks like the folks over at the We campaign (more on this later for those who don't know about it) have updated their site with a page about actions we can take towards "repowering America." They also now open the site with a video from Gore.

From the new page -- set up, I assume, to follow today's announcement -- there is a page dedicated to making our utilities carbon neutral. They say:

Every time you switch on the lights, microwave a bag of popcorn, or watch TV, there is a good chance that the electricity you use -- and pay for every month -- comes from coal.

Across America, coal power plants are responsible for more than 80% of electricity's global warming pollution. But it doesn't have to be that way. You are a valued customer of your utility company, and what you say matters.

Utility companies can buy the power they sell you from coal and other fossil fuels, or from renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal power. Yet less than 5% of total electricity sales in the U.S. comes from these sources. If enough customers demand that their energy come from these climate-friendly sources, your utility company will listen. And your policy makers will hear about it, too.

Demand renewable energy from your local utility.

 

Update, 10:30 am: Just arrived at Constitution Hall. For those who have never been to the Hall, it's housed at the Daughters of the American Revolution building, immediately west of the White House. It's a beautiful setting; blue starred rugs and chairs, gently sloping seats. All the pomp one could from DC.

Until 1950, the Hall actually had a glass roof, through which you could see the stars. Today -– when the heat is meant to top 96 degrees –- we’re saved the fate of a humid greenhouse. But there would be a certain resonance for those who remember James Hansen’s famous appearance in the Senate, in which they intentionally shut off the air conditioning so that, during his testimony, Senators' brows dripped with sweat.

Update, 11:10 am: Today’s event is being sponsored by We, in conjunction with The Glover Park Group.

We is a portmanteau of the rally-cry-cum-slogan used by the campaign: We can solve it. This is also their website: wecansolveit.org

We is a commercial scale advocacy and communications effort, with a target to reach some ten million people in three years. Their work has been funny, and received well. They are associated

You may recognize them from their commercials featuring a couch, a desert and two opposites: Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson, young and old. David Letterman and Bill Christy also taped a spoof of these ads.

The Glover Park Group, on the other hand, is a strategy group here in DC.

Update, 11:15 am: Guests and members of the public are now being let in.

Update, 11:20 am: In speaking with people today, the most consistent response to their sense of what Al Gore intends to purpose has been a mixture of surprise, and reserved support. What encouragement they do offer is mitigated by a sense that Gore’s proposal is politically impossible.

After all, the Federal government –- and certainly the Bush administration –- has sat by, content to do, at best, very little, at worse, destructive harm that will take years to understand, and to reverse.

And so while Gore may not achieve his goal of carbon neutrality within 10 years, he may be successful at his other goal: to create a new political environment in which the ideal of weaning American off its dependence on dirty, inefficient fuel may be accepted, if not embraced.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Update, 11:33 am: From visionary to bold to impractical. These are the words being used to describe Gore’s proposal.

Unreasonable? I’ve yet to hear unreasonable. For the first to use it, may they remember: to Al Gore, as to George Bernard Shaw, that would come as a compliment.

I’m talking of Shaw’s famous aphorism.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

Recently, it was used by James Gustav Speth, in his latest book, The Bridge at the Edge of the World, which my colleague Moly Webster reviewed in the pages of On Earth. To end his introduction, he said: “It’s time for a large amount of civic unreasonableness.”

Gore has responded to that call today.

Update, 11:37 am: The comparison between Gore and Speth hadn’t occurred to me before.

Speth and Gore are at remarkably similar places in their professional lives. They have both worked in politics, and academia, for years. Both have dedicated themselves to advancing a commitment to solving the challenge of global warming. And both have seen remarkably little political action, despite their tireless dedication.

The titles of their two most recent books –- The Assault on Reason and The Bridge at the Edge of the World -– reflect what they both share: a certain exasperation at the lack of substantive action on climate despite.

Despite all the scientific evidence. Despite the moral necessity. Despite the economic opportunity. Despite all reason, it seems, very little has been done.

Update, 11:45 am: Fifteen minutes to game time, and still there are seats left in the Hall. I had hoped it would be filled to capacity -- standing room only, even.

Update, 12:00 pm: Copies of Al Gore's speech were handed out a moment ago. The first line reads: "There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challenges of a present danger."

Included in the first paragraph: "The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk. And even more -- if more should be required –- the future of human civilization is at stake.”

Gore is about to speak. From here, I’ll be updating quickly.

Update, 12:03 pm: Tipper and friends just walked in. The seats are alsmot entirely filled. Good news.

Other faces in the crowd: Carol Browner, Gene Karpinski of LCV.

Update, 12:07 pm: Kathy Zoy, CEo of Alliance Climate Protection, introduces former Congressman Sherry Boehlert.

He quotes Woody Allen, "More than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction. Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly."

Boehlert says: what's possible is about to change.

Former Vice President Al Gore enters to applause. will.i.am is in the crowd.

Gore begins with remarks about how bad the economy is –- mortgages, outsourcing, gas prices.

The climate crisis is worsening at a faster rate than predicted, too.

By the way, our weather sure is getting weird, isn't it?

Says: these problems are greater than our solutions. That’s worrying.

Worse yet, we offer old, ineffective solutions to new problems.

We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf for fuels that are dstryoing the earth. That must change.

The answer: end our reliance on carbon based fuels.

Gore says we have enough energy to meet 100% of American energy demands. Windpower in the Midwest. Solar.

He’s building to the proposal: 100% renewable energy in 10 years.

He says its possible, affordable, and transformative.

When he was in Congress, people said renewable energy would be competitive once oil hit $35 a barrel. It's now $135 a barrel.

We can build jobs through the competitive enterprise of renewable energy.

As one OPEC minister observed: the stone age did not end because of a shortage of stones.

To those who says 10 years is not enough time, he says: scientists warn what will happen in ten years.

And to those who say it’s not possible, he invites them to defend the status quo to the public and bear witness to the people's apetite for dramatic change. Loud applause.

We cannot stand 10 more years of status quo. Families, workers, economies, cannot take another ten years, another ten years of repeated troop deployments.

What should we do instead in the next 10 years instead?

Marshall plan. Social security. Inerstate highway system. All plans that extended beyond next election.

When JFK challenged nation to land a man on the moon, 8 years later, they did just that.

Problem: unified national grid. Vital infrastructure. Today, our grid is vulnerable and weak. Costs is more than $120 billion a year to businesses.

Help auto manufacturers switch to plug-in hybrids.

Electric vehicle fleet reduce price driving, reduce pollution, increase flexibility of grid.

We should ofer good jobs in the sunshine to any coal miner displaced by this transition.

We could and should increase speed of this transition by including price to our environment in carbon fuel. Tax what we burn, not what we earn.

US needs to rejoin international community and lead in setting cap on emissions.

Calls additional offshore drilling a perverse solution to short term gas prices.

When gas prices are high, we propose to give more money to oil companies? Everyone knows it won't work.

Here's the truth: Demand is exceeding discovery of newoil reserves. Price will not come down soon, and politicians can do nothing to lower it in the short term.

Have we lsot our apetite for bold policy solutions? Especially if contrary to special interests.

I have heard different message from American people. Want genuine solution. We're on the eve of a presidential election and international climate treaty process.

US must move first. Way to get others to follow. And in our own best interest.

We need to act now. And we need to act boldly.

This is a generational moment. We can choose our own fate.

We are committed to changing not only lightbulbs, but laws.

On July 16, 1969, US was finally ready to meet Kenndey's challenge to land man on moon. Remembers standing next to father waiting for take off. And then watched as Niel Armstrong stepped onto moon and changed history of our nation.

Our entire civilization depends on a new journey of discovery. And a willingness to undertake this challenge.

End. Standing ovation.

I wrote a post-op of the speech. Click here to read it.

You can click here for the full text of Gore's speech.

Update: At Netroots Nation, Gore called upon bloggers to help fulfill his goal. I'm going to blog about it later today.

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