'Al Gore launches a wide-ranging attack' Column Philippe Escande
During the World Economic Forum, conventional remarks on the climate crisis were interrupted by a welcome outbreak by the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Published on January 19, 2023 at 17h44, updated at 17h53 on January 19, 2023 Time to 2 min. Lire en français S now fell on the Swiss health resort that once treated rich tuberculosis patients as depicted in The Magic Mountain (1924) by Thomas Mann. These days Davos is wrapped with a glittering black ribbon of Mercedes cars, moving in an incessant ballet around the resort until late at night. The air there is not as pure as it used to be. In the sky, a helicopter sometimes hovers to monitor comings and goings. The powerful are not very careful about their energy use. On stage and in the corridors, they lamented inflation and the obstacles to free trade, and they made a show of environmental virtue and social responsibility. And then, suddenly, a welcome interruption. Read more Davos Forum: 'The end of the month has overtaken the end of the world' There was a curious assortment on stage on Wednesday, January 18: the CEO of an American multinational technology company (Salesforce), the president of the National Congress of American Indians, the president of a large Australian mining company (Fortescue), a former American vice-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Al Gore, and the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro. In the opening moments, and as is appropriate, everyone spoke convincingly of the need to fight global warming, but probably each at their own pace. The industrialists assured us that they were doing their utmost, leading their generous foundations, often dedicated to repairing the damage of their own companies. And then Al Gore took the floor. Read more Subscribers only Scholz details acceleration of Germany's energy transition at Davos A COP presidency that leaves a bitter taste He welcomed the progress made since he first alerted the public to the issue in the early 2000s. But now, the inconvenient truth, to quote the title of his famous 2006 film, is, according to him, that we are losing the climate battle. The former senator from Tennessee, who came to the Alps in cowboy boots, got carried away. The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner launched a wide-ranging attack, whose targets included political leaders who lack ambition, and a World Bank which is failing badly. Young Germans, said Gore, are right to oppose the expansion of coal mines. The most extreme symbol of the current failure, he said, is the appointment of the boss of the oil company of the United Arab Emirates as president of COP28, the next United Nations conference on climate change, which will be held in December. 'We cannot let the oil companies and gas companies and petrostates tell us what is permissible,' he said vehemently. He believes the time to act is now. He was given a standing ovation, especially by younger members of the audience.
SOURCE: LE MONDE