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Gore: 5 Steps to Save Planet

Nobel laureate calls on Obama, new Congress to act now

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 9, 2008 12:11 PM CST

(Newser) – The road to energy efficiency is paved with the same solutions needed to fix the economic crisis, Al Gore writes in a New York Times op-ed. Dismissing proposals for domestic drilling, the climate crusader says, “We simply cannot any longer base the strategy for human survival on a cynical and self-interested solution,” and offers a 5-part plan to get started now:

President-elect Obama and the new Congress should offer incentives to encourage construction of thermal plants and wind farms.
Plan and construct a “unified national smart grid” for the transport of renewable electricity.
Help Detroit’s Big Three automakers and startups boost production of plug-in hybrids.
Retrofit buildings with better insulation and energy-efficient windows and lighting.
Cap carbon emissions and replace the Kyoto treaty with more effective protocol.

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (2)]

Former Vice President Al Gore lays out a five-part plan to solve the global energy crisis. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

"Our children and grandchildren need you to hear and recognize the truth of our situation, before it is too late," Al Gore says. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

"We simply cannot any longer base the strategy for human survival on a cynical and self-interested illusion," Al Gore says. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Part of Al Gore's plan calls for congressional incentives for investment in the construction of wind farms. (Shutter Stock)

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The best way—indeed the only way—to secure a global agreement to safeguard our future is by re-establishing the United States as the country with the moral and political authority to lead the world toward a solution. - Al Gore, the New York Times

We simply cannot any longer base the strategy for human survival on a cynical and self-interested illusion. - Al Gore, the New York Times

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Gore: 5 Steps to Save Planet