Published on: Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The New Global Deal

Posted By: Robyn Greenspan
Filed Under: world business forum, robyn greenspan, leadership, communication, opportunity, politics, al gore, climate crisis

Comments (2)

The 45^th Vice President of the United States began speaking at the 2010 World Business Forum, where ExecuNet exclusively reported, with a positive remark about the economy, but then he quickly put it in perspective with an anecdote from the late Grand Ole Opry comedienne Minnie Pearl of a farmer who was involved in a car accident. When the farmer went to court to sue for damages, the lawyer asked him whether it was true he said he "felt fine" right after the accident.

The farmer began to tell a long, involved story of the events of the car accident, culminating with the other vehicle hitting him and his cow. When the police arrived on the scene, they saw the injured cow and mercifully shot him. "So when the police asked the farmer how he felt, he said, 'I feel fine.' Many of us are feeling like that, said Gore."

The former Vice President, or as he affably said, once known as "the next President of the United States" expertly connected the dots between the climate crisis, sustainable capitalism and opportunity for global environmental and economic improvement.

"The climate crisis is the biggest challenge to sustainable capitalism and our way of life," said Gore. "But I want to begin with the word 'crisis.' In English and Spanish the word 'crisis' is a single word. In Chinese or Japanese it is two characters that when put together show 'crisis.' The first character is 'danger' and the second is 'opportunity.' It's a better way of thinking about any crisis. The climate crisis is one of the most dangerous that we face. It also shows the biggest opportunity we have ever had."

While he avoided reopening the debate on reasons for invading Iraq, Gore affirmed that the global economy's dependence on an oil market dominated by the Persian Gulf, and "the thought of it being disrupted or under control of those who could use it as a geopolitical weapon is something not easily dismissed."

Abandoning the polluting 100-year-old technologies of the past to prepare for a sustainable 21st century could break our dependence, put people to work and save the economy, asserted Gore, but we collectively suffer from inertia, which works as the enemy of change. Partially, he attributed the inertia to our collective inability to imagine something that's unprecedented. "We have a tendency to think if it didn't happen in the past, it's not likely to happen in the future. We never had to think about the relationship between us and the environment."

Gore cited three major contributors to the climate crisis:

the global population explosion, which taxes resources
the dramatic expansion of the power-draining technologies we use
the way we think about capitalism

"Capitalism is the most efficient form of organizing economic activity the world has ever seen. It unlocks the human potential. It has a set of organic and ubiquitous incentives. It's great that capitalism is our system," asserted the Nobel Prize winner; however, he argued, it is long past time to address the system's structural problems citing the "short-term thinking" that recently brought down the financial system and how that same "lack of vision" prevents long-range environmental solution planning.

We're entering a period of consequences, he said, potentially leading to eventual collapse.

"There is a disinformation campaign going on," Gore said. "Large carbon polluters spend money to create false doubts on things that are real. The ship is bearing down, but large carbon polluters are in the boat saying it's not real."

Communication has transformed in the US, particularly in the last decade, and the information marketplace is not as friendly to ideas, and 80 percent of political campaign money goes to 30-second television commercials. "When a proposal to solve climate crisis is presented, the opposition dominates the conversation. The hope is with bloggers; they're a new medium that soon will rival the importance of television."

Gore urged World Business Forum delegates to affect change through political action, and pressure the Senate to release its use of filibusters to place a stranglehold on policies, which, he said, are influenced by special interest groups. "It's important to change light bulbs, but it's more important to change the laws."

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Robyn Greenspan's avatar Robyn Greenspan
Robyn Greenspan is the Editor-in-Chief at ExecuNet, where she is responsible for setting and driving the editorial content engagement strategy across the private business network's publications and expert-led programming. She is also a Huffington Post blogger. You can follow her on Twitter @RobynGreenspan

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Posted by Robyn Greenspan
01/14 @ 04:56 PM

fjohn,

You can always be counted on for interesting and creative insight -- but it's usually channeled as generous helpfulness toward ExecuNet members.

Like you, I won't profess to have the credentials to deconstruct Gore's suppositions. However, as a journalist who attended this event and wrote an accounting of the presentation, I have a professional obligation to ensure quotes are accurate. But, more importantly, for me, I have a personal imperative to conduct some research before reporting so that I am not advancing "fiction."

That said, the proceeds from An Inconvenient Truth and Gore's Nobel prize money are reportedly donated to educate the public about climate issues. I will admit that I did not examine financial reports or statements. I expect Gore earns money in other ways that may connect back to global warming but I�ve not seen evidence that he manufactured this crisis for profit motives.

Those who want to debate whether global warming is real or not often overlook other important issues Gore points out: that there is an urgency around us finding alternative energy sources. Doing so could create jobs, boost the economy, improve infrastructure and stimulate innovation. If Gore happens to be right about global warming, maybe these efforts could cool things off too.

Posted by reinkefj
01/14 @ 04:04 PM

Dear Ms Robyn,

May I respectfully suggest that that proverbial cow was lucky. It didn't have to listened to Al Gore.

You, unfortunately, have parse out fact and fiction. "Global Warming", "Global Cooling", and all the fads in between are just attempts to "sell" us on a meme that allows them to control us and enriches them. It's well documented just how much old Al has made from his "Global Warming" efforts. So how do you know where the conflict of interest ends. "Population Overgrowth" aka Malthusianism, "power draining tech" aka Peak Power, and "capitalism" which is not what we have now are all just justifications for the Mundanes to be led by the Elite. Of course, Gore is just one of the Elites to "lead" any that will follow.

The Elite always want to erode anything that stands in the way of following their agenda. Space doesn't permit a comment to go into depth. And, I'm not sure I have the credentials to do it. But, I do know, what is being shoveled, that poor proverbial cow could produce as well.

fjohn