KAUFMAN Questions Gore on Economic Recovery, Climate Change
Kaufman: “We have a unique opportunity to create jobs as we move away from harmful fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions”
January 28, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) questioned former Vice President Al Gore today in a high-profile Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on climate change. Inside the packed hearing room, Sen. Kaufman initially asked Gore about tackling the tasks of creating jobs and responding to the threat of climate change.
“Do you feel the economic recovery plan is a step forward in terms of climate change?” Kaufman asked, drawing the connection between the creation of jobs and the strategy to respond to global warming. Gore responded that it was his view that the best bet for both short and long term job creation lies with the development of new products and processes that will free the economy from fossil fuels.
“We borrow money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn in ways that destroy our planet,” Gore said. “Every bit of that has got to change.”
Kaufman followed up by asking Gore to discuss the considerable political challenges facing both domestic climate change legislation and the international talks aimed at a global agreement.
“The science is sound and we have a good idea of the next steps, but as you know from your years in Washington, broad support is needed, both here and overseas. How do we build that coalition on the road to Copenhagen?”
Gore’s answers were in-depth and detail-oriented, the type of responses that academics and fans alike have come to expect from the former Vice President. Kaufman was pleased with Gore’s responses and said after the hearing that while we are headed in the right direction, several big steps are still needed.
“The scientific consensus on the human impact on our climate has grown steadily, and we are beginning to see the full implications of climate change,” Kaufman said after the hearing. “But we must work together to find a solution, and that starts with finding common ground here in Washington and abroad. Meeting the challenge of climate change is a moral obligation, and today we have a unique opportunity to create jobs as we move away from harmful fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions.”
The room was full for the duration of the hearing, entitled “Addressing Global Climate Change: The Road to Copenhagen,” with former Vice President Gore as the only witness. Gore is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and has been a forceful messenger for environmental reform since leaving the White House.
