Is Al Gore too hypocritical in his own environmental practices to win the Nobel peace prize?

Question

Among having been the deciding vote to alleviate the gas tax when he was VP he also owns 5 homes one of which burned over ten times the average amount of energy for the area, as well as not having alternative energy sources to power them.

Don't get me wrong I'm a huge environmentalist and if all Gore has done anything he has brought attention to the issue. I just think the spokesman from the environment should practice what he preaches. So giving the award to Al Gore instead of someone truly deserving seems a rather political than earnest move by the part of the Nobel peace prize committee.

"Awarding it to Al Gore cannot be seen as anything other than a political statement. Awarding it to the IPCC is well-founded," said Bjorn Lomborg, author of "The Skeptical Environmentalist."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071012/ap_on_sc/nobel_peace

Answer 1

Fifty years from now, those of us who are still alive will see the results of Al Gore's mission. It's easy to sit at our computers and chastise Gore for failing to 'practice what he preaches', but I wonder how many of the Gore critics actually know with absolute certainty that he, indeed, is so hypocritical.
The criticism comes mostly comes from Gore's political opponents, who don't seem to recognize that this is NOT a political issue. Global warming is a very real and serious threat to all of mankind; and it's all because we citizens of the world during the past 150 years have chosen to waste, squander and spoil the very environment that sustains us.

Just because you don't agree with Gore's politics doesn't mean you should turn a blind eye to his message about global warming. As arrogance, ignorance, bias, puffery, prejudice, bigotry and hubris sets in, we seem to lose sight of the fact that we have destroyed our planet with our smoke-belching factories; gas-guzzling Hummers and SUVs; refusal to REuse, REduce and REcycle; intrusive coal mining; destruction of rain forests and mangrove forest throughout the world; overfishing of the oceans; and absolute disregard for all of the plants and animals that are necessary for the very survival of the human species.
Those of you are are younger and haven't started a family yet need to be keenly aware of Gore's messages. If something isn't done within the next ten years to stop the environmental and ecological erosion of our planet, YOUR children and grandchildren will be left to suffer, living lives without sufficient clean water, little clean air, and nothing short of global devastation without food sources, natural resources or elements vital to human existence.
Your great-grandchildren will inherit a world full of cement and asphalt monoliths, without greenery, trees, flowers, streams, clean oceans, whales, polar bears, babbling brooks, exotic frogs, agriculture, insects or pure air. 'So what?" you might ask. How will you answer your darling great grand daughter as she sits on your lap and asks, "Gee, Grandpa, why didn't you do anything to save me from all this depredation?" How will you answer HER??
-RKO- 10/12/07

Answer 2

First off, Vice-President Gore purchases carbon offsets for his air travel (which is not always in a private jet, in fact he flies commercial when ever possible), there by not only remaining carbon neutral, but also encouraging the growth of the green economy. Second, he won the award the same way anyone does, the Norwegian Noble Committee from amongst those names put into nomination selected him. The Noble Committee is autonomous, though appointed by the Norwegian parliament, and are able to award it to pretty much anyone they please. This year, they chose to award it to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. As for why, the Noble Committee clearly views the environment as a humanitarian issue and has chosen to recognize the IPCC as a body and Al Gore specifically for their efforts in this area. That's their prerogative.

Answer 3

Whether you agree with him or not, I think it takes a great deal of courage for any politician to publish books, get movies made, do other things to promote THEIR causes, which then promotes public awareness of those causes, and locks the politician into being associated with whatever they were preaching when the book came out.

The vast majority of politicians are free to tell different things to different groups of voters to try to get elecrted, and anyone who tries to point this out, can have a hard time proving the two faced truth.

I don't see what Giore on environment has to do with Nobel peace prize ... the issue for peace prize is what he has done to promote peace in the world. I could believe the Nobel committee voting for Gore because they don't like Bush.

Answer 4

HE has done more to promote the Global Warming issue than nay human alive. Jump up and down all you want, had he not taken this cause on the average American would still be driving around in SUV totally ignorant of the issue.....

Environmentalist have been poor communicators and builders of policy, he has been successful where no one else could have been.

Lynn A. I know it is hard but try to read a recent history book Iraq is a PRUE lie and has killed more US citizens than the 9/11 attacks not ONE democratic planned or lead that, next time pretend you know what you are talking about before calling someone a liar

Answer 5

No, I don't believe Gore is "too hypocritical" to share the Nobel Peace Prize. I know that many of the facts you're hanging onto to make this assertation are erroneous or distorted. I don't believe everything I read or hear on that account, nor should you. Just like I don't believe in the name you use in Yahoo. If you were interested in truth you wouldn't ask a question like this.

Answer 6

Gore, also talks about how the people need to change to solar,electric cars etc but Gore never talks about those coal burning power plant that are the main cause of all pollution of our enviroment does this make sense, to charge your electric car that's good for the enviroment but get the power to charge that electric car from a coal burning power plant that pollutes your rivers and steams and the air that you breathe?? nuclear power is our future and needs to start now .Gore, is the reason this country burns coal.they need to put a asterisk next to his Nobel Prize*HYPOCRITE

Answer 7

He's the perfect example of the "Do As I Say; Not As I Do" analogy; He has brought attnetion to the problem, which is good, but boasting about how much he cares about the enviornment while driving a big SUV, owning a huge mansion with a Zinc mine and flying in a large private jet is not the way to boost your minimize his "Carbon Footprint".

Sorry, I refuse to drink the Enviromental Kool-Aid from a guy that peddles it from the back of an SUV.

Answer 8

In case you did not realise it the noble prize has always been political. This decision may be inappropriate in that it is not for "peace work". However, the awarding body are just trying to emphasise that if mankind has power to influence "global warming" then perhaps it is time that mankind began to act. They may see global warming as a real threat to the future of world peace. Which it possibly is since anything that threatens to destablize the status quo, leads to uncertainty, unrest disharmony and possibly war.

Answer 9

You are right, he is a hypocrite if that is what he does not practice what he preaches. However, consider this. Does the benefits of him bringing attention to the issue worldwide, not outweigh the irony of his overconsumption of polluting energy sources? Maybe he felt bad and that is why he did it but he still did society a great favor by bringing light to the issue, regardless of his intentions.

Answer 10

Unfortunately, nobody´s perfect - but yes, I definitely agree that this is a political statement.

He should know and do better than that, but when I look at all those fake self-publicising celebs the (Angelina Jolie type) in the world, I´d rather have Gore.