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Subscribe to RSSGore was the surprise guest to introduce New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who spoke about the city's response to Sandy, which slammed into the city on October 29, killing 43 people, destroying homes, and knocking out power, mass transit and telephone service in huge swaths of the city.
Much of Lower Manhattan flooded from the storm surge, a danger many climate scientists warn will become more acute as the burning of fossil fuels contributes to higher global temperatures that speed the melting of polar ice, raising sea levels.
Bloomberg has long sounded alarm bells about climate change and the city's vulnerability to major storms. His blueprint for infrastructure needs, called PlaNYC, aims to cut the city's carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2030 and he has pushed to limit dependence on coal, a leading source of carbon emissions.
Bloomberg showed a picture of Gore and himself painting a city roof with white paint, a technique that keeps temperatures down and helps cut energy consumption.
The mayor also echoed some of Gore's sentiments about leadership in Washington, saying cities were "not waiting for national governments to act on climate change."
But Bloomberg added: "We had help from every part of the federal government. Everything we asked for we had. Now we've got to get some money out of them, but that's another issue."
The city has asked Washington for $9.8 billion to pay for costs from Sandy not covered by insurance or other federal funds.
Much of Gore's remarks centered on leaders in Washington, who he said had abdicated responsibility on carbon as humans treat the atmosphere as an "open sewer."
Gore, a long-time environmental advocate who served under President Bill Clinton, helped raise awareness on climate change by narrating the hit documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," which won two Academy Awards in 2007.
"Our democracy has been hacked," Gore said. "And when the large part of polluters and their ideological allies tell the members of Congress to jump, they do say, 'how high?' And we need leadership in the executive branch as well."
While saying New York must be more prepared for storms, Bloomberg was defiant that the city will not flee from its 520 miles of shoreline.
"Let me be clear: We are not going to abandon the waterfront ... But we can't just rebuild what was there and hope for the best. We have to build smarter and stronger and more sustainably," Bloomberg said.
New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo has asked for $41.9 billion in federal disaster assistance, including $9.1 billion for projects to prevent and mitigate damage from future storms.
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The world would have been a much better place if Gore had won instead of Bush.
He did win. The Bush family selected SCOTUS stepped in with an illegal (they even admitted it) reversal of the will of the people. We got 8 more years of phony economics, two wars, and a significant delay of rational policy to confront global warming as a result.
The future will write that the SCOTUS of 2000 and Bush were responsible for the most irresponsible and catastrophic period in American history.
Actually the illegal liberal Florida Supreme Court is what they reversed. Obama is doing nothing to reverse any of Bush's mistakes will be known as the most incompetent and invisive president in American history.
NWO is in control...so it doesn't matter who's in office . either way or either side you're on is controlled by International bankers. just the manipulation of the globe.
Give us a good example of this brilliant conclusion Glenn.
If you read most of these comments, you will see that there is little hope of saving mankind from themselves. An area larger than the continental United States melted in the Arctic this year. Once all of this Arctic ice melts there will be nothing left to moderate the summer extremes of heat, as well as bring regular refreshing rain showers to thirsty farmland throughout the northern hemisphere. So far people have just had a tiny taste of what is to come, but once it finally gets here it will be too late to do anything about it. It is so tragic that most people cannot see beyond the nose on their face. This is one more reason we need a smart system of democracy, one which weights everyone's vote based upon their Voter Aptitude Scholastic Test (VAST) scores. It is most important that we begin testing everyone's VAST store of knowledge soon, if we are to finally change our world for the better before it is too late. This was one of the many democratic changes which I wanted to bring to pass in this last 2012 national election, but unfortunately virtually none of the American people were interested. So all I can say to everyone now is have fun with your programmed "End Times", everyone! - Rick Carter
The idea was that there would be a very large public database created which everyone would have full access to, covering every subject in the entire world, from which all of these VAST questions would be generated. People could voluntarily retest themselves as often as once a year, in order to try and improve their VAST scores. Their future votes would be 'weighted' or 'valued' based upon their current VAST scores. - RC
Bloomberg showed a picture of Gore and himself painting a city roof with white paint, a technique that keeps temperatures down and helps cut energy consumption.
Ok so I'm wondering....this obviously helps really good in the summer but is it possible that this technique is countered by higher heating bills in the winter? Wouldn't you want less refelctive action in the winter?
Not being sarcastic here, I really wonder about this idea.
Mr. Gore: The country has more pressing problems than climate control. Since you invented the internet, why don't you invent a climate control machine?
LEDs, insulation,more efficient cars are all ok, but you really want to do something useful about climate change, start by pushing policies to reduce overpopulation. If you want to be more patriotic, add in immigration control (because world populations are going to starve and a lot of them will want to be here). I suggest that tax reform and reduced government benefits would be a good place to start. No deductions for dependants and no child support for, say, more than one child. Get the Mormon church goers (talk about about big, government-sponsored, families) and the welfare mothers (those with 11 kids from 11 fathers) off the government dole. Oh, and illegal immigrants, sorry, but just go home. We will be hard-pressed to save ourselves, let alone the rest of the world. Al Gore is right about climate change; he's just too humane.
Okay, my opinion is this. Yes Global Warming exists, Yes, it's having an impact on our enviornment. But Al Gore like a whole slew of other noted politicians have connections and the where with all to make a difference. I'm tired of hearing everyone dumping EVERYTHING on this president. If your in a position of influence and power, USE IT. Al Gore is IN that position, he can make a difference, establish a consortium of scientists, public figures, educate the public thru public service announcements, lobby people he knows to write a bill regarding what ever he wants implemented and Stop Dumping on this President. Trust me President Obama has his hands full. Al Gore has the influence and connections to make a difference without dragging the President into this.
The only difference gore can make is to get richer from carbon credit proceeds .The climate will remain unaffected by what gore does . Contrary to the left's opinion, gore is not God ,and cannot control the climate through taxation .
Has anyone considered standing by the President..working with him? All I see/hear is criticism. The man is not an octopus, he can't do everthing all at the same time. Al Gore..another wanna be president, talking chit!
They both stink equally of complete corruption .
JP-844134--- Hello, ----Just in----The earth has been warming since the last ice age!
That is very true. But not as abruptly as in the last 30 or so years lock step with a logarithmic increase in CO2. Not to mention other GHG's that are worse than good 'ol CO2.
Oh and the polar regions too ! That was just in too !
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/07/csu-researchers-say-sandy-wasnt-influenced-by-global-warming/
Cool .