Al Gore compares climate change to Dunkirk, Agincourt, and 9/11: ‘We have to rise to this occasion’
‘The burden to act ... is a challenge to our moral imagination,’ former vice-president says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Al Gore has urged governments and the global elite to take stronger action in tackling the climate crisis, comparing it to some of the greatest military actions in history – and the 9/11 terror attacks.
The former US vice president made the comparisons during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which was attended by teenage activist Greta Thunberg, Prince Charles, and Donald Trump.
He said: “The burden to act on the shoulders of the generation of the people alive today is a challenge to our moral imagination.
“This is Thermopylae. This is Agincourt. This is the Battle of the Bulge. This is Dunkirk. This is 9/11. We have to rise to this occasion.”
Mr Gore has been an avid environmental activist since he lost the 2000 presidential election and wrote the climate change documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which was released in 2006.
He added that the climate crisis was intensifying “way faster” than people realised and that the world currently lacked the political will to address the emergency.
According to CNBC, when asked if anything made him feel hopeful for the future of climate change, Mr Gore said: “The young generation is a source of hope.”
He praised Ms Thunberg for her activism and said: “Once again, I was struck by her potent and sobering call to action. Nobody speaks truth to power as she does.”
Ms Thunberg gave a keynote address at the event where she pointedly criticised world leaders for inaction over the climate emergency.
Without naming names, she said: “I wonder, what will you tell your children was the reason to fail and leave them facing … climate chaos that you knowingly brought upon them?
“That it seemed so bad for the economy that we decided to resign the idea of securing future living conditions without even trying?
“Our house is still on fire. Your inaction is fuelling the flames by the hour. We are still telling you to panic and to act as if you loved your children above all else.”.
Her address came just minutes after Mr Trump’s own, in which he called climate activists “alarmists” and “prophets of doom”.
“These alarmists always demand the same thing – absolute power to dominate, transform and control every aspect of our lives,” said Mr Trump.
He said there was reason to be optimistic as he bragged about his administration’s economic achievements and announced the US would join an initiative to conserve and restore a trillion trees.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments