Nov

Al Gore and David Letterman - Eco-friendly Television Gold

al-gore-and-david-letterman You may have missed it, but former American Vice-President and Noble Prize winner Al Gore made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman to promote his new book Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Global Climate Crisis. The result was eco friendly television gold. This segment was a master class in eco friendly television and current environmental issues and cannot be covered in just one blog. What made the interview so much more than just another boring conversation on the topic was the camaraderie between the pair. Where to begin?

It would be prudent to start with the fact that, just like his Noble Prize money the proceeds from the book are going to The Alliance for Climate Protection. The very first topic is one that has long been the focus of environmental discussion, but has seemingly taken a back seat of late and that is the Ozone Layer. Dave went right to the heart of the issue asking Gore if the hole in the Ozone layer was closed up? Surprising Gore said in the eco friendly television interview, that the Ozone layer was closing. He attributed this environmental success to the fact that world leaders came together with a treaty that was first thought to be a weak move but then toughened up. According to the EPA what Gore was talking about was the “over 190 countries, including the major industrialized nations such as the United States, have signed the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which calls for elimination of chemicals that destroy stratospheric ozone.

Countries that signed the Protocol are committed to limiting the production and use of those chemicals.” Beyond that the “1990 Clean Air Act required [the] EPA to set up a program for phasing out production and use of ozone-destroying chemicals. In 1996, [the] U.S. production ended for many of the chemicals capable of doing the most serious harm such as CFCs, halons, and methyl chloroform.” Though these measures have helped, Gore was cautious and warned that it would take a few more decades to heal the damage that was done.

Letterman asked about how the Ozone layer had affected Australia. Gore admitted that though the thinning did occur everywhere Austrialia is was one of the countries worse affected. Additionally Gore felt that the reason why the Ozone is being restored has to do with the fact that governments banded together and listened to scientist. This part of the eco friendly television interview was important as it brought back an issue that had become passé in a way, as climate change has stolen the spotlight. More importantly it illustrates that there is hope as a problem can be identified, acted upon and untimely change is brought about.

This is only Part 1. Stay tuned as we journey through some of the vast knowledge that former Vice-President Al Gore shared with David Lettermen in this eco friendly television appearance.

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